The Suitor
by Alexandria M
Summary: Roman Reigns has been hired to guard Princess Alexandra. Alexandra is in the middle of her season to find a suitor to marry however she does not want to marry for wealth and power but for love. Alexandra wants more but her world is changed forever when she meets Roman Reigns who is careless and destructive to the women around him. What kind of effect will Roman have on Alexandra?
1. Chapter 1

***Here is a new Roman Story I couldn't wait to start so my count is up to 4 and I will continue to update regularly I hope that you enjoy it.***

 _ **London, England 1820.**_

"Your majesty," said the servant to King Arthur as he sat in his study in the castle looking over things to be done over the next month. The date was quickly approaching to when his daughter Alexandra was to wed and would eventually take the throne of England when he stepped down. He was not feeling his best and age was not on his side. England needed a fresh young soul to rule over their land but he wouldn't give Alexandra the throne until she one day procured a husband. She had many suitors she just had no desire to marry any of them. She was as stubborn as her late mother who passed away when Alexandra was 3 years old. The qualities she possessed from her mother made King Arthur think of her mother Sophia every day. Sophia did not come from royalty but she came from money. When King Arthur saw her for the first time he knew she would be the one he would marry. They married in a month's time after meeting and he secured her hand in marriage. Alexandra was not so easily pleased with the men in her life. She made it difficult for suitors to want to take her hand in marriage based on her intelligence and her independence. King Arthur wanted to make sure Alexandra was set for the rest of her life as the heiress to the throne. He wanted her happiness but he also wanted her to produce heirs and heiress to the throne and bring kingdoms together. He had faith in her abilities to rule the country but he didn't want her to do it alone. Alexandra was intelligent and among intelligent she possessed a beauty that not many women possessed. She was different than most of the women in the kingdom.

"Yes," said King Arthur as he looked up from his papers.

"There is a Sir Roman Reigns here that requests your presence," he said.

"Very well," said King Arthur. "I will be right with him," he said standing up. "Can you please have Henrietta stir up some tea? He's our new guard for the princess," he said.

"I see, Your majesty," he said, "I am on it," he said as he bowed and then took his leave.

King Arthur made his way to the foyer where the young man he had hired to protect his daughter after the last guard had become trouble was standing. "Sir Reigns," he said as Roman stood looking at the artwork on the foyer wall.

"Your Majesty," said Roman as he bowed to the king.

"Pleasure to meet you," said the King.

"The pleasure is mine your majesty," he said with another bow.

"Please follow me to the conservatory, we have things to discuss," he said leading the way to the conservatory. Roman looked around the palace as they made their way to King Arthur's conservatory. "Please have a seat," instructed the king as he pointed to one of the large chairs in the room as the grey skies outside produced a light drizzle. "So tell me about yourself," he said as the maid brought in their tea and prepared it for them.

"I'm from Italy," he said in his deep voice, "I have been a guard since I was 18 years old. I recently moved to London."

"And what prompted you to move to London?" he asked as he was handed his cup of tea.

"A change of scenery I suppose. I was ready to do something new, do something adventurous. I made the decision to move to London."

"Very well," said the King. "I need you to protect the Princess. It is a job that I take very seriously," he warned. "Princess Alexandra is the one thing I have left in my life that I truly love. She is my pride and joy. She has 5 guards on her at a time but you will be the main one. We had to recently fire her last guard," he said.

"May I ask why?" questioned Roman.

"He was troublesome. He was scandalous and he had tried to scandalize the Princess. I could not have my daughter's reputation scandalized as you know she is in the season of finding a husband so she can rule the throne. I do not need scandal surrounding her and I do not need guards crossing the line to my daughter as a way to get back at me for their grievances they have against me. Alexandra will be guarded at all times. She is to never go anywhere without you. She has three suitors at the moment that will escort her on dates and escort her out of the palace walls for the afternoon. It is your job to make sure no scandal should occur and they are safe from harm."

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty," said Roman with a smile as he took a sip of tea. He was not looking forward to guarding the princess. He had heard nothing but bad things about working for the royals. They were snobby and impatient. Rumors of the king were not much better. Many said that King Arthur was harsh to his servants, to his guards and those that worked for him. Roman had been told King Arthur knew he was above everyone and that's how he treated everyone that came into his presence including his own daughter that he loved so much and was his pride and joy. He ruled with an iron fist having many people beheaded for their crimes. He was not to be taken lightly. It was said that when his wife Sophia died 20 years ago his heart became stone and it changed him as a person. Roman understood the pain of losing someone he loved. He had lost his late wife in a carriage accident 3 years prior to him moving to England. He was left widowed and alone with no one to love. He was a scandalous man.

Roman after his wife's death vowed to never love another soul the same again. He would not let love in. He wouldn't allow anyone to love him or be loved. He was a handsome man that turned ladies' heads but he was not out for love. He damaged women that's what his life had become. He destroyed women and took their purity away making them unsuitable to wed or wed beneath themselves. He had no heart or care to their feelings or reputation. He was not looking forward to guarding Princess Alexandra. He pictured her a brat, a spoiled little brat that got her way. He pictured her self-centered, uneducated and demanding. He was going to hate his job as her guard but he was going to enjoy the pay to go out and buy booze and find loose women to cure his lonely nights. That was the only thing worth it for him.

"You will stay here within the palace," says the King snapping Roman out of his thoughts.

"Okay, Your Majesty," said Roman as he grumbled to himself. He wasn't sure how he would maintain his lifestyle of drinking, gambling and sleeping with loose women when he was confined to the palace protecting the princess. It would get boring fast. "Will I be able to leave the palace at night to enjoy some free time?"

"You will have free time two nights a week," said the King, "the other 5 nights you will be on guard for the Princess," he said making Roman grumble to himself. "There are to be no visitors to the palace," said King Arthur understanding the kind of man Roman was.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said in response but he wasn't happy about it. He didn't want his life compromised but it was before he even started his job the money was worth it though.

"The sums for your services will be paid out weekly," said the King.

"Thank-you," said Roman.

"You will be given a schedule for upcoming events that you will escort Princess Alexandra to," he said. "You will also escort her on daily tasks. She is to never be out of your sight," he warned. "And any scandalous behavior your services will no longer be required."

"Yes, your majesty," said Roman as he took another sip of tea. "Will I meet the Princess?"

"Yes, Sir," said King Arthur. He called for his servant.

"Yes, your majesty, what can I do for you?" asked the man dressed in black slacks and a white shirt with a black coat over top of it.

"Please summon Princess Alexandra," he said.

"She is in the library, Your Majesty, I will go call for her," he said and Roman was surprised to know that Alexandra was in the library. He didn't picture her to be the reading type. In this time it was uncommon for a woman to read any type of literature. He was surprised.

Princess Alexandra sat in the palace's library; her favorite place to be other than outside in the stables with the horses reading a book in an oversized green chair. There was a knock on the door startling her out of her imagination of what life would be like if someone actually married for love rather than money and power. She was not oblivious to the fact that her suitors were after her because of her wealth and power. She knew they loved that more than her, she had nothing in common with any of her suitors, nothing that made her swoon or want to marry any of them. When she married she wanted something real, she wanted real love. She wanted the man to forget about her wealth and power and see her as who she was not what she had. "You may enter," she commanded shutting the book she was reading. The servant entered the library filled with books from wall to wall. There was not a book she didn't' have. "Yes, Carlisle?" she asked calling the servant by name. She had enough respect to do so.

"Your Majesty is calling for your presence in the conservatory. There is a gentleman in his office."

"Not another suitor," she breathed impatiently. "When is father going to realize I do not want to marry for wealth and power but for love? He can't keep bringing in suitors and expect me to fall in love. It has to be real not artificial," she said standing up.

"I don't believe he is a suitor, Your Royal Highness," he said shocking her.

"This should be interesting," she said as she followed Carlisle to her father's conservatory.

Carlisle opened the double French doors and entered into the conservatory. "I present to you, Your Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra," he said with a nod. King Arthur and Roman took their stance as Alexandra entered into the conservatory wearing a light blue gown that brought out her deep blue eyes.

"Good Afternoon," said King Arthur as he walked to his daughter and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good Afternoon, Father," she said with a smile that could light up a room. Roman was taken back by her beauty. He was taken back by her. He made his way to the Princess.

"Your Royal Highness," said Roman in a deep voice as he bowed to her and Alexandra offered her small dainty hand to him. He kissed the back of it softly. "Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Alexandra, this is your new guard, Sir Roman Reigns. He has been secured to protect you."

"Father," she said not taking her eyes off of Roman. He was an attractive man. He was more attractive than most. Her breathing deepened and her breaths increased. As she admired his attractiveness she felt her heart race. He was different than most men in the kingdom. He had a natural tan to his complexion. His dark hair longer than most and tied back into a smooth ponytail, he wore cream colored breeches that clung tightly to his thunderous thighs, his broad chest was covered in a white button down shirt with a grey overcoat. His eyes a beautiful clear blue and his lips were full and a beautiful shade of pink. He was breathtakingly handsome. His hands large and strong compared to Alexandra's dainty hand and her frail fingers.

"Alexandra," said her father, "it is for your protection."

"Very well," she said with a smile that lit up the room again making Roman forget about the dreary grey skies outside dropping a drizzle on England. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Reigns," she said softly.

"Please, call me Roman, Princess," he said in his sexy deep voice causing Alexandra's breath to hitch. He flashed her a smile that caught her breath. He could hear the change in her breathing and saw delicate soft skin on her face turn a light shade of pink. He realized the effect he was having on her. He didn't take his eyes off of her. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her deep blue eyes reminded him of the summer skies of Italy and her skin looked so soft and delicate. He imagined his lips all over it and kissing her softly. Her figure hidden behind the light blue gown she was wearing but judging by her dainty fingers and hand he knew she had a small frame but her breasts were anything but small, not too large but plump enough to give him a small view of cleavage. Her gown fell to her feet as her curly strawberry blonde hair was pulled back with a light blue ribbon holding it out of her face. He had never seen such a beautiful creature. He had never mixed business with pleasure but with Princess Alexandra standing in front of him he was determined to do so. He was determined to see how far he would be able to go with the princess and see how far she was willing to let him go. It was a challenge he was willing to take and as the smile crept across his full lips at the thought of bedding her eventually in his quest, he realized he would enjoy his job all the much more than he had thought.

 ***A/N: What do you think? Is it a keeper or no? Do you want more? What do you think of Roman's lifestyle? Do you believe he will make a good guard for Princess Alexandra? Why do you think he had such an effect over Alexandra? What do you think of Roman's quest to bed Alexandra and mix business with pleasure? Do you think he will succeed in his mission? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

***Thank-you to everyone that favorited, alerted and followed this story. THank-you for the reviews as well. THey were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much***

"It's a lovely day," said Alexandra as her and the Lord Dolph Ziggler sat on a blanket in the garden of the palace on a beautiful day in England. The skies were bluer than they had been in days. It was the first day a grey overcast didn't cover the sky and a cool drizzle didn't fall onto the kingdom.

"It's beautiful," said Dolph. "A beautiful day for a picnic lunch."

"It's perfect," said Alexandra with a smile as she sat waiting for Dolph to pull out the food he had packed for their lunch together. Lord Dolph was one of Alexandra's suitors and one of the men who wanted to take her hand into marriage. Lord Dolph was one of Alexandra's favorite suitors as he hailed from Scotland and they shared intellectual conversations. He was the only one that could put a smile on her face but she had no interest or desire to marry him. He was great company but as for a husband he would not make a good one because she simply didn't love him. "How is your mother?" she asked as she caught Roman lurking around watching them. Her blue eyes met Roman's blue-grey orbs and her cheeks flushed, her breath quickened. It was like he was looking into her soul. She swallowed harder than she had expected to before she broke eye contact from Roman.

"She's doing much better, Alexandra," he said as he handed her part of a sandwich. "Doctor said she will make a full recovery."

"I'm pleased to hear that," said Alexandra with a smile before she took a bite of the sandwich he had given her. The smell of roses in the garden filled the air and a light breeze danced across their cheeks as they sat in the sunshine. "What was wrong with her?"

"Doctor said a slight case of pneumonia but she is doing much better now. She would love to see me marry," he said before taking a sip of his water.

"I'm sure she would, as my father would love to see me marry," she said as she caught Roman looking at her again. She could feel his eyes on her. They were burning with intensity and filled with a need she had never seen from a man before. He was different than her suitors. He was different than any man she had seen before. He had a unique look about him. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Her heart raced each time he looked at her or spoke to her. No one had ever had that effect on her before.

"When will you know you want to marry?" Asked Dolph snapping her out of her thoughts and drawing her attention back in.

"My apologies, what was the question?"

"You seem distracted today, Alexandra," he said looking around the garden. His eyes settled on Roman and saw him staring at Alexandra. He turned back to Alexandra. "Who is that?"

"That is my new guard," she said. "My father hired him to watch after me."

"He's doing a fine job of it," he said. "I asked you when do you think you will know when you want to marry?"

"I don't intend to marry, Dolph. You know this. I simply can't marry for wealth and power. There needs to be more, I want more."

"I want to marry you, Alexandra, will you marry me?" he asks.

"Dolph, you're great company. I enjoy spending time with you and enjoy your acquaintance but I do not wish to marry you."

"Why?"

"I don't love you," she said.

"You can learn to love me," he said. "We can rule the kingdom together and have children. We could be happy together. Please marry me."

"Dolph," she said, "love is not something one learns to do. Love is a feeling bedded deep within our souls looking for its other half. You can't learn to love someone you either do or you don't," she said. "I'm sorry but I have no intention of marrying you."

"What if I told you my soul had found its other half?" he asked.

"My soul has not, not yet," she said honestly. "My apologies, Dolph."

She caught herself looking in Roman's direction again. He was sitting beneath a tree reading a book. It was if he felt her gaze upon him. He looked up in her direction and winked at her. Her breath caught in her throat. "Is there something going on with the guard?" asked Dolph.

"No," she said breathlessly.

"He has you distracted, Alexandra. Your cheeks are flushed are you feeling all right?"

"I'm feeling fine," she said but she wasn't sure how she was feeling. She could barely catch her breath, the air around her had gotten too hot and she felt herself sweating through her mint green gown she had been wearing. Her throat was dry and her heart was racing. She had never felt anything like it before until now, until Roman.

"Maybe you should go lie down," said Dolph. "You don't look well. I think it would be best if you lie down. Let's get you back inside." Dolph stood up and extended his hand. Alexandra took his hand and stood up with his help. She had to steady herself before she could start to walk.

"Is something wrong?" asked Roman as he made his way over to Dolph and Alexandra.

"The princess is not feeling well," said Dolph. "I'm escorting her to her bed chamber so she can get the proper rest that she needs."

"I will escort the Princess back to her bedchamber," said Roman. "It is my duty to ensure that the princess is well and safe. I will escort her back to her bedchamber."

"I cannot ask you to do that," said Dolph. "I'm capable of escorting my future wife to her bedchamber." Dolph was threatened by Roman. There was something in Roman's eyes that made him feel he needed to lay claim over Alexandra, let him know his future plans with the princess.

"I assure you I am not your future wife," said Alexandra as she held onto her racing heart. "I have no intention of marrying you."

"I will still escort you to your bedchamber," said Dolph.

"Allow me," said Roman as he stepped to Alexandra's side and interlocked their arms. "It is my duty to make sure the Princess returns back to her bedchamber safely."

"I can manage," said Dolph.

"He's correct," said Alexandra, "my father hired him for my protection. I will be okay. You clean up and then go back home. I'll be okay," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Dolph, "I can escort you back to your bedchamber and make sure you're all right then clean up."

"She will be fine," said Roman. "I've got her. Come along, Princess," he said as they started to walk away from Dolph. Alexandra waved to him as she stumbled over her feet as Roman escorted her back to her bedchamber. "Do you require a doctor?" asked Roman as they made their way back to the entrance of the palace.

"I need rest," said Alexandra. "I do not require a doctor."

"Very well, Princess," he said escorting her inside. He escorted her up the spiral staircase to her bedchamber. He opened the door to her bedchamber and escorted her inside closing the door behind them. "You should get all the rest that you need today, Your Highness. I will cancel your events the rest of the day."

"I just need a nap," she said. "It's too hot. I will be fine after a nap."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive," she said with a smile.

"Very well," he said, "what's on your agenda tomorrow?"

"I have business to attend to in town in the morning. I have places to visit and things to do."

"Okay," he said with a smile that sent a shiver through Alexandra's body. "You need to get some rest, your cheeks are so flushed," he said as he took his large hand and placed it on her flushed cheeks. Alexandra's breath hitched as she looked deep into his blue-grey eyes. They were once again burning with the intensity she had seen in the garden. "You're beautiful, Alexandra," he said in his deep voice. "I know what I do to you, your cheeks flush pink, your breath gets caught in your throat."

"Are you provoking me?" she asked.

"Provoking you?" he asked as he stroked her cheek softly before cupping the side of her neck in his large hands. "I know you're aware of me Alexandra. I see it every time I look at you. Your blue eyes sparkle every time you look at me, your heart starts racing, your breathing deepens. You're aware of my presence and I'm aware of the affect I have on you. I can hear your breathing. I can see the effect on your face and in your eyes." He was very correct. Alexandra was too aware of him, too much affected by him. His presence awakened her soul in ways she never thought a man could or ever would. He left her weak, stumbling over her own feet and made her aware of her femininity. He took her breath away. She was aware of what he did to her but her father would never go for Roman. Roman was a commoner hired to protect the princess. He wasn't a prince or a lord. He was commoner that awakened Alexandra's soul like never before.

"Stop," said Alexandra, "Just stop. You do not have any effect on me. I'm not well. The sun was too hot."

"You can tell yourself that," he said, "but you and I both know the truth." He was so close to her, his hand cupped beneath her chin, his eyes burning with intensity.

"I assure you, Mr. Reigns that my father would not stand for this and I do not appreciate you provo…" she started to say before his soft full lips were on hers. His long tongue gliding against her soft lips causing her to part her lips, Roman slid his tongue into her parted lips and found her tongue with his. He softly kissed her tongue, twisting and twirling it with his. His kiss deepened. Alexandra brought her hand up and not knowing where to touch him or if she could touch him let it fall down to her side. As Roman sucked on her tongue, kissing her deep and passionately he lifted her hand with his and placed it on his abdomen. His hard ab muscles tightened beneath her fingers. She curled her fingers as she kissed him back. His body so close to hers, her heart racing, the passion and intensity tearing through her body. Her soul screaming as he kissed her words away as he wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. He reluctantly pulled away leaving Alexandra breathless, light headed and dizzy. "Mr. Reigns," she said catching her breath.

"Princess," he said with a soft smile. "Until later," he said with a nod before he left her in her bedchamber. It took Alexandra a couple minutes to steady herself before she made her way to her bed. She fell onto her large soft bed reeling from everything that happened with Mr. Reigns. He was a commoner, a scoundrel but she wanted him more than anything.

 **LATER THAT NIGHT:**

"Well, look who it is," said Roman's friend Dean as he walked into his brewery, "if it isn't the Princess Protector," he said mockingly.

"It's not so bad," said Roman sitting down before Dean slid him some beer.

"Not so bad, the royals are the worst people to work for and that Princess I'm sure is a brat."

"Have you ever seen that princess?" asked Roman taking a sip of his beer. "She's like nothing I have ever seen before. She's a beautiful creation."

"Yes she's beautiful but that doesn't make me want to work for her. Her father alone makes me want to stay away from the palace."

"He is a jerk," said Roman, "but the Princess will be in my bed by the end of the week."

Dean let out a laugh, "you think you're going to bed the Princess Alexandra? With all the suitors she has that she doesn't intend to marry what makes you think you're going to get her in your bed to shag her."

"I'm going to seduce her to my bed," he said.

"Virgins are hard enough to get into your bed, they're not as willing as your married women and the widows. They are harder to get into your bed and you think the virgin princess is going to land in your bed?" Dean let out another laugh, "you're aiming higher than usual."

"You haven't seen the affect I have on her," he said taking another drink of his beer. "I'm sure Princess Alexandra will be a lot more willing by the end of the week. Think about it."

"That's impossible even for you," said Dean. "I know you attract all sorts of harlots and women but Princess Alexandra is not going to allow you to bed her and remember what happened to the last guard that tried to destroy the princess? He's sitting in a cell somewhere waiting to be beheaded. King Arthur will not stand for the destruction of his daughter."

"I don't look at it as destroying her. I look at it as breaking her in for her suitors, teaching her how to please her suitors and future husband." He said. "I'll have her in my bed one day. It's worth the challenge. Something tells me that Princess Alexandra won't say no."

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra turning down Dolph's proposal? Is she correct that love isn't something you learn but something you feel? Do you think her soul is awakened by Roman because she might be in love with him? WHy do you think Roman has an affect on her that no other man does? What did you think of Roman kissing the princess? What about the talk he had with his friend in the brewery? Do you think Princess Alexandra will end up in his bed like he wants? Should Roman remain cautious with Princess Alexandra and his plans? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Alexandra and Roman rode into town the day after their unexpected kiss as Alexandra would call it in the palace carriage. Alexandra had business to take care of at a few of her businesses and a few of her properties where she had tenants living and staying. Alexandra sat on one side of the carriage dressed in a plum dress and a pair of black boots with a plum hat to match hiding her strawberry blonde hair. Her blue eyes concentrating on the scenery of the countryside of London, trying to avoid making any eye contact with the man sitting across from her, Roman smiled to himself at her avoidance of him. She was truly shaken by what transpired by the two because she felt it, she knew the attraction was there. It was just a matter of time before he would take her to his bed. Roman's gaze was fixed on Alexandra taking in her rare beauty. She would occasionally sneak glances at Roman but turn away quickly as her eyes met his.

Roman slid his foot forward gently hitting his boot with hers. Alexandra looked at him with a puzzled look on her face and moved her foot away from his. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat when Roman slid his foot forward again meeting hers she tried to pull hers away again but he caught it with his. She gave him a look to remove his foot. He ignored her look and slid his foot up under her skirts. Her deep blue eyes growing wide as she felt the caress of his foot against her stockings, he was provoking her on purpose, trying to seduce her. He gave her a smile as she looked at him with a horrified expression. Her breathing deepened, the carriage ride suddenly got too hot as she was pulling at the top of her dress trying to get air as she pulled out her fan to fan herself. Roman's foot slid up her calve and he rubbed her leg softly. Alexandra attempted to move her leg away from him but he caught her stopping her once again. She mouthed to him to stop but his assault continued. He was provoking her on purpose and it was upsetting her but it was so irresistible at the same time. He was irresistible. His dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. His grey breeches hugging his large thighs and his legs, he wore a white shirt with a blue overcoat. She found herself staring at his handsomeness. Her breaths labored and deep, he was aware of the affect he was having over her as he caressed her leg with his black boot.

The carriage came to a stop in town outside of a perfume shop in the middle of town. Roman withdrew his foot and stood to his feet to exit the carriage. He held the door open for the Princess as she stepped out of the carriage he took her gloved hand into his and helped her down the carriage steps even the gloves couldn't stop the electricity that he produced flow through her body. She was aware of him but she would never have him. She couldn't have him. Her father would never approve and he wasn't the kind of man to marry. She knew of his behaviors and his charms to get women into his bed. She was not to be one of those women. "Your Highness," he said with a bow.

"Mr. Reigns," she said without a smile as she stepped down onto the marble road.

"Is this your store or are we here to buy perfume?" he asked as he escorted her into the perfume store.

"This is my store," she said, "I own a few perfume stores here in town. I also have a bath oils store as well as a dress shop. I also have many properties throughout London that I am currently renting to tenants."

"I'm impressed," he said with a smile as they walked into the perfume store. The scent of the perfumery filled Roman's nose. Alexandra separated herself from him and made her way to the counter. He walked around looking at the perfumes while she spent some time with the clerk discussing business and discussing inventories. Alexandra barely paid attention as Roman had her distracted. She kept her eyes on him as he would pick up the perfume bottles and spray a little before taking in the scent.

She found it hard to focus on her business in town as long as he was around. She wasn't sure what it was about him but her attention was drawn to him wherever they went. She gave the women working in her stores less than half her attention and more than half of her attention to Roman as he walked around the stores looking at the product. Her employers spoke to her but she barely knew what they said or were saying to her. She concluded her final business meeting for the day and they headed back to the carriage to take the long ride back to the countryside of London and make their way back to the palace.

"So you own all those businesses?" asked Roman as he and Alexandra were back on palace grounds in the study.

"I do," she said, "as well as properties, I told you this before."

"I'm just impressed," he said.

"Why is being a woman that does business and rents property so impressive?" she asked removing her gloves.

"Most women don't do that sort of work," he said.

"I'm not most women," she said, "I am Princess Alexandra and I will do what I want to do. There is no limit to my duties."

"My wife would never venture into the business world," he said removing his overcoat.

"It is a good thing I am not your wife then," she said dryly. "I'm sure your wife would enjoy catering to you but I am not the type of woman to cater to anyone. What do you believe a woman should do with her time?"

"A woman's place is in the home, in the kitchen and raising the children," he said. "A woman is not meant to work or do business. That's a man's job."

"And what do you think of a woman ruling a country? Is that unheard of too?"

Roman could hear the irritation in her voice and knew he had upset her. Upsetting her wasn't how he was going to get her into his bed but he had his beliefs and had his opinions on who a woman should be and what she should do. He wanted his wife should he ever take one to cater to his every need, to cook his dinner, to clean his home and to pleasure him whenever his need arrived. "I do not believe a woman should rule a country," he said. "It is a man's job to rule a country and to make sure things are done correctly."

"Your lack in a woman's ability to be independent and to be a ruling force of a country is less than flattering, Mr. Reigns. You will never procure a wife in this manner."

"As you will never procure a husband with your current state of mind, a woman is to be seen not heard. A woman is to cook and clean for the man that she wed as well as provide him the pleasure he desires and bare his children."

"When you're a princess," she said, "you are capable of doing anything and you have maid servants to do the cooking and cleaning for you. A woman can rule a country just as a man can. I am next in line for the throne and I will rule this country the way I know how to do so. Your notion of women being in the kitchen and baring children is highly unwelcomed by me."

"A woman is meant to bare the children and raise them. A woman is meant to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen while the man does the business."

Alexandra's face began to pink over, Roman could tell she was upset but he was enjoying their banter. They had two different ideas of what a woman was to be and what a woman was to do. As much as he wanted a submissive woman in his bed and as his wife Alexandra's independence and business savvy attitude was alluring to him. It made her stand out. It made her different than any other woman he had ever pursued before which in this case would be even harder for him to obtain his goal. "You wouldn't know a thing about a woman and what she desires to do with her life."

"I am quite skilled with women," he said with amusement in his voice. "You may find out someday."

"You're a scoundrel, a rogue," she said, "you would never need to show me your skill with a woman. I'm not the woman you wish to find."

"Does your father not believe that you need a man to rule this country? Is that not why he is trying to find you a husband for you to be betrothed before you take the throne?"

"My father does not wish to see me unhappy in life. I do not need to be betrothed to rule this country it is for my father to be assured of my life's happiness long after his passing."

"Then why have you not wed?" he asked.

"Because I have no desire to be wed, I want more than some Duke, Lord or Prince to come to my palace and try to woo me into taking their hand in marriage. It is about love not wealth and power. And I assure you Mr. Reigns I will not be the wife to be as you put it barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I will be ruling YOU and everyone else here in London."

"You have not given me a chance," he said with a sly smile.

"A chance for what?" she asked. "You're provoking me just like you were provoking me in the carriage. You were trying to seduce me. I assure you, Mr. Reigns rogues and scoundrels are not my cup of tea. You are not my cup of tea. What happened last night in my bed chamber will never happen again."

"Will it not?" he asked moving behind her.

"It will not," she said as she was fully aware of his presence in close proximity of her. His body up against hers as he stood behind her, she tried not to show the effect he was having on her body but her breathing betrayed her as she caught a breath in her throat before she started breathing heavier. Her face heated over turning a light shade of pink. A small gasp escaped from her throat as his arms were around her tiny waist. "Mr. Reigns," she said, "you know my father would have your head if he were to discover your inappropriateness."

"I am not worried about your father, Alexandra," he said his breath on her neck. His voice in her ear barely above a whisper, "You're my only worry," he said as he sent a shiver through her body. The electricity he ignited through her veins left her feeling warm and in need of a fan. He left her feeling constricted, unable to break free from his hold. She weakened in his arms. "You feel it," he said. "You feel what I do to you," he said.

"I assure you will be off my father's services by tomorrow morning."

"Do you think that would keep me away?" he asked as he whispered in her ear before turning her around to face him. "Look at me," he said as she turned her head away from him. "I want to take you to my bed, Alexandra," he said as her breath hitched at his bold statement. "Will you come with me to my bed?" he asked as her deep blue eyes met his blue-grey orbs.

"I will not," she said almost breathless as her body shook in his arms.

"You may not today," he said, "but someday you will be in my bed and I will show you depths of pleasure you never thought possible. My body against your body as I'm inside of you, taking you the way I want to take you and giving it to you the way I know you desire."

She swallowed hard as her mouth went dry and a shiver moved through her. The thought of being in bed with Mr. Reigns made parts of her body feel things she had never felt before. "Mr. Reigns, I assure you I am not some harlot that you will have your way with and be done with. You're a rogue, I am a princess. I will never be in your bed."

"Someday," he said as he stroked her soft cheek, "I will have the pleasure of you in my bed and have the pleasure of hearing you cry out my name."

"Mr. Reigns," she said barely above a whisper. "You are a scoundrel. I have no desire to be in your bed."

"One day, Alexandra," he said with promise in his voice. "You will be in my bed," he said as he trailed his finger across her collarbone causing her breath to still. She wanted him but she would never give him the pleasure or the satisfaction of allowing him to treat her as some harlot.

"Mr. Reigns," she said breathless.

"Alexandra," he said with a smile. "I must go attend to a few things. I will be back to check on you," he said and with that he was gone while Alexandra found herself gaining the strength to walk again.

"Father," said Alexandra as she walked into her father's study.

"Alexandra," he said with a smile as she made her way into his study followed by the maid with tea. She waved the maid away and began to prepare them some tea. "How do you like your new guard?" he asked. Startled by the question Alexandra dropped a tea cup and it shattered on the tray. Her father hurried to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Father. I want a new guard," she said as she started to pick up the broken pieces.

"Why I believe he is a great guard, he seems to have your best interest at heart," he said. Alexandra knew he had some type of interest but it wasn't her best interest he was thinking of.

"I just don't think we get along well," she said before pouring her father another cup of tea. "Sugar?"

"No thank-you, My Love," he said as he took a seat on one of the couches in the study. "Why do you not get along?"

"We just have different views, Father," she said brining him his tea. "I just don't feel comfortable around him. Can we trust him?"

"He is the agency's best guard," he says. "Getting him to guard you was my best decision. It's new," he said as she took a seat on the couch next to her father. "Give it some time."

"But father, I don't like him. Please can we find another guard?"

"Alexandra, your safety is my number one concern. Mr. Reigns has a good record of being an exceptional security guard. Just give it some time and things will be better. Just give him a chance."

"Father," she said.

"Enough, Alexandra, my decision is made," he said before taking a sip of tea. "There is a ball coming up. You are going to be accompanied by Prince Wade Barrett," he said.

"Father, I don't want to go to another ball."

"It is not a choice, Alexandra. When do you believe you will be ready to wed? Lord Dolph has given me his addresses to proclaim your hand in marriage."

"No, Father, absolutely not. I will wed when I am in love," she said honestly. "Then and only then is when I will take a husband."

"Alexandra, must you be so stubborn. I'm not well, I can't reign over England forever and until you wed I cannot leave you the throne," he said before coughing.

"Father, are you not well today? Your cough is getting worse," she said with concern.

"Alexandra, I will not be around forever. I am not well. I am ill. It is not improving," he said, "I do not want to see you live a solitary life. I want you to be happy and find someone to spend the rest of your life with. I don't have much time I believe. Please respect my wishes and wed before my departure from this Earth," he said. "I need to make sure you will not be alone."

"Father, I will not be alone. I don't want to wed until I know I can love the man. Did you not love mother?"

"I loved your mother with every beat of my heart," he said coughing again. "She was my world. The moment I saw your mother I knew she was the woman I was going to marry. You look so much like her. You inherited her beauty."

"How did you know she was the one?" she asked.

"My heart knew it," he said, "my heart would always race when I saw her. My soul was awoken the moment I saw her. I loved your mother very deeply and the day she left us I lost a piece of my heart. She brought me great joy."

"Do you not wish the same for me? Do you not wish for me to find someone that sets my soul on fire and awakens it and makes my heart race? Do you not want the same for me? I know Mother loved you very much just as I want to love my husband because it is within my soul not because I was forced into marriage. Please father, allow me to fall in love before I wed. That's what I ask, please father," she begged.

"Alexandra," he said, "I want you to marry for love but I want you to marry a man that will help you reign over England."

"You don't believe I can do it by myself do you?" she asked.

"I just wish for you to wed before you take the throne," he said. "I am not well, Alexandra, I do not have a lot of time. You need to wed soon. You are a beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to marry you," he said before he started coughing again. "Please Alexandra," he said.

"Okay, Father," she said before she took his cup of tea from him. "I'll wed soon if it pleases you but please allow me to do it out of love."

"As you wish, Alexandra," he said.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra's business ventures? Is she unlike many women of her time period? What do you think of Roman provoking her in the carriage? Are you surprised that Alexandra is on to his lifestyle? What did you think of Roman's views on how his wife should be? Why do you think he finds Alexandra's independence so alluring? What are your thoughts on Roman openly telling Alexandra he wants her in his bed? What do you think Alexandra is feeling? What about her father pushing her into marriage so she can be wed to take the throne? Does she need to be wed to successfully reign over the country? What do you think of her asking for another guard and her father declining? Will she ever be able to wed out of love? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

 **A COUPLE WEEKS LATER:**

"Well, look who finally decided to make their presence," said Dean as Roman walked into his bar.

"I've been busy. That princess keeps me busy. She has me doing all sorts of different errands. There have been balls and business meetings," he said as he took a seat at the bar. "Hit me with a beer," he said resting his elbows on the bar.

"So did you bed the Royal Highness yet?" he asked mocking Roman's plans to bed Alexandra.

"No," he said before taking a drink of his beer. "She's difficult to persuade. I want her in my bed more than I ever wanted anyone in my bed. I'm enjoying the challenge. She wants me. She knows that she does but she's not giving into what she feels."

"Virgins are not easily persuaded into a man's bed and this is the Royal Princess Alexandra we're talking about. She has been sheltered her whole life. She has lived a life of seclusion, rubbing elbows with Royalty and those with money. She doesn't mingle with rogues and scoundrels such as yourself, she has been taught to be proper and appropriate. The chances of you getting her into your bed are slim. I don't think she is going to be persuaded."

"I will make it happen. The more I see her the more I am around her the more I feel the need to take her to my bed and fuck her long and hard into the early morning hours, bringing her pleasure she has never felt before, claim her," he said with determination in his voice. "I told her I wanted to take her to my bed."

"Telling the Princess you want to take her to bed isn't going to make her any more willing. She probably has never been kissed. Her life is different than ours. She is saved for her spouse, for the next Lord, Duke, Earl or Prince that takes her hand in marriage. You will not persuade her into your bed, Roman I think I should express that to you now. You're not her type of man. You're rough on the edges, you're a scoundrel. You're poor. You are not the man for her and even if she would be persuaded the King would never allow it. Why is it so important to you to damage the princess and make her undesirable for her future spouse? What is your agenda?"

"I have no agenda but to break her in for her future spouse, show her how to please a man and show her how she can be pleased. That's my agenda and I can enjoy fucking her into pleasure."

"Maybe you should find another woman to bury your frustrations into because I do not believe the Princess will oblige to your plans or your desire," he said. "Take a look around, Reigns. There are plenty of women around here for you to pleasure and take to your bed. Don't focus on the one woman you cannot have."

"I will get Alexandra into my bed," he said with even more determination before slamming his mug of beer down on the bar. "She will be mine. I will not bed another woman, the next time I spend myself it will be inside Alexandra. I will wait until then."

Dean looked at his friend with a look of doubt and shook his head. "If you wish to be able to do that then I am not to stop you but I think you're going about this the wrong way," he said. "You should try another approach. A virgin will not respond to being told you want to take her to bed. You should try a different approach, approach her differently."

"What do you suggest?" asked Roman before taking a swig of his beer.

"You might have to win her heart first. Try to find out what she likes, what she loves. Act like a gentleman not some rogue," he said.

"You're telling me to make her fall in love with me? I don't want her to fall in love with me. I just want her in my bed. I want to take her pleasure and give her pleasure. I don't want to fall in love with anyone."

"Then you have a better chance of bedding one of the women in this bar than you do the Princess Alexandra. IF she falls in love with you, you might be lucky enough to bed her. You might do a better job of persuading her into what you desire."

"So you're telling me that if I 'fall in love' with her and she 'falls in love' with me that I could get what I want? How am I supposed to do that? I know nothing about the Princess except that she is a rare beauty with large breasts, beautiful blue eyes and the most beautiful mouth and full lips. I don't like to get to know the women I share my bed with."

"Talk to her," he suggested. "Princess Alexandra is not like the women you usually share a bed with. She's different. She comes from a different line of women. She's royalty. You need to win her heart before she gives anything up to you."

"I will try this talking thing and try getting to know her," he said, "I hope that it works. I am frustrated and need to spend badly."

"Then take one of these women home tonight for your pleasure and then focus on Alexandra," he said.

"NO!" shouted Roman. "Alexandra will be the next woman to share my bed!" he said with even more determination before downing the rest of his beer. It had become more than a simple challenge, it had become an obsession. Roman couldn't sleep at night as he tossed and turned in his bed with thoughts on what it would be like to have the Princess in his bed. He had become obsessed with the idea of taking her innocence and destroying her, breaking her in for the man she would marry if she was still considered desirable. He was willing to do anything and go to whatever lengths he needed to go to achieve his goal.

"Good morning, Princess," said Roman as he found Alexandra out in the stables of the palace. Roman's voice startled her as she was feeding her horse.

"Good morning," she said as she looked at him. He was breathtakingly beautiful on the outside but on the inside he was nothing more than an ugly man. His blue grey eyes met her blue eyes as he was dressed in slate grey breeches and a black shirt with no overcoat. His dark hair was pulled back into a low bun and he stood smiling at her as the sun shined down on them. She herself was dressed in a black skirt with a light blue blouse. Alexandra's strawberry blonde hair was braided into a French braid. "I see you survived your night, Mr. Reigns."

"It was a dead night," he said in return with a smile. "How are you today, Princess?"

"I'm delightful," she said as she petted her horse. "How are you?"

"Wonderful," he said with a smile as he rested his hands on his hips. "Why are you attending to the horses, don't you have servants to do that for you?" he asked with curiosity as he watched her brush the white horse with brown spots on it.

"I tend to this horse," she said as she continued to brush the large horse. "This is MY horse and he only cares for me to take care of him. I have since I was a little girl."

"That's your horse?" he asked as he moved over to where she stood.

"Yes, Mr. Reigns, I own a horse too. Are women not supposed to own horses?"

"I didn't say that," he said with a smile. "It's a beautiful horse. Do you like horses?"

"They please me yes. I love horses. They are one of my joys in life. Surely you know of joys other than in the bedroom."

"I do have joys in the bedroom but I do enjoy other activities in life," he said with amusement.

"Such as?" she asked as she brushed out the mane.

"Fencing," he said, "I enjoy a good duel or a good sword fight. I have many swords."

"I never would have thought, Mr. Reigns," she said with amusement. "Other than fencing what do you enjoy? Do you partake in reading?"

"I'm not particularly fond of reading," he said, "but I do read the news. I partake in other activities to keep me busy," he said with a smile.

"I'm sure bedding unsuspecting women and harlots are one of those activities."

"I do not discuss my bedroom activities," he said. "You think lowly of me don't you?"

"I don't think highly of you," she said, "I'm not sure how to act when someone tells me they want to take me to bed."

"I assure you it would be a very pleasurable experience for you," he said with a smile.

"You're an arrogant man, Mr. Reigns," she said but he was a beautiful man. The most beautiful man she had laid her eyes on. He had the most beautiful smile and the most beautiful soft lips. He had the most beautiful blue-grey eyes that did things to her. His gaze alone was enough to catch her breath in her throat and the sight of him was enough to stop her heart from beating. He was a large man but he was in shape. His broad shoulders barely fitting into an overcoat and his powerful thick thighs hugged by his breeches, he walked with a sexual grace, like he knew how to please a woman and satisfy her into oblivion. His voice was low, deep, sexy and the sound of it made her heart race and caused a dampness between her legs. He had an effect on her but his smugness and arrogance was what stopped her from allowing him the power to seduce her into his bed. Her breath hitched every time he came close, every time he looked at her and every time he spoke of her. Lately she had dreams she never had before, dreams of being in his bed, dreams of being seduced, pleasured and satisfied by him.

"It's not arrogance if I can back it up," he said moving closer to her. "I can prove to you how pleasurable a night in my bed may be. You will never want another man in your bed again." Alexandra's breath hitched at the thought. "I can do things to you that no other man can, the pleasure I would bring you, the desire you have dreamed of. I can show you how to please a man and show you how you enjoy to be pleasured." Her heart was racing, her breathing labored and heavy, her knees weakening and the dampness between her legs appeared. "I know you desire me, Alexandra," he said.

"Mr. Reigns," she said breathless, "I assure you there is more to a woman and a man than the bedroom activities. I look for heart not sexual grace or sexual congress."

"Sexual congress is not as bad as you may believe, Your Highness. I believe that you would be very pleased after engaging in sexual congress especially with me," he said as arrogantly as he could but with a smile on his face that melted Alexandra's heart.

"Your arrogance," she said, "I have never met a more arrogant man than yourself, Mr. Reigns and I have a lot of pompous men that have been my suitor."

"I'm not as bad as you believe me to be, Princess. You should allow me a chance to prove to you I am more than a man that engages in sexual congress as a hobby."

"You would like a chance?" she asked as she stopped brushing the horse. "A chance to be my suitor is that what you're asking me?"

"Would you like for me to be a suitor?"

Alexandra let out a small laugh and said, "do you believe my father would allow YOU to be my suitor? He would much rather see me with a prince or a duke not a guard or one that works for an agency," she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Reigns but you are not a likely choice for a suitor for me as handsome as you may be."

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked with a smug smile.

"You're not a bad sight to look at," she said with a smile before she continued to brush the horse. "You're beautiful outside it's your inside that I worry about, Mr. Reigns."

"I have a very nice inside," he said with a smile that made Alexandra smile. "Do you wish to be wed to a Duke, an Earl, a Prince or a Lord?" he asked.

"I prefer to be wed for love to anyone that is able to win my heart, Mr. Reigns. Why are you not wed?" she asked.

"There was a time," he said before he stopped himself, "but that was long ago, Your Highness. I have loved before."

"I see," she said. "I have never loved. I don't know what it feels like to love but I believe that love is something special. I believe it is a feeling like no other. I have yet to be in love. I have many suitors, many men that wish to marry me but my heart does not wish to marry any of them."

"I see," he said. "How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal, Mr. Reigns?" she asked with curiosity filling her deep blue eyes.

"How about I let you get to know me here," he said lifting her free hand to his chest and placing it over his heart. Alexandra spread her hand over his firm chest as her breath hitched as she felt his beating heart beneath her hand and his large hand covering hers. "Then you decide if you would like to engage in sexual congress with me. I will give you no pressure. As long you give it deep consideration and I will only ask of you what you want to do."

"So you're telling me if you let me get to know your heart then it is up to me if I want to engage in sexual congress with you?"

"Yes, Your Highness," he said with a smile. "I will open my heart to you, you want love and I want sexual congress. We'll both win if you allow it."

Alexandra flexed her fingers over his firm chest and took into deliberation what he was asking. "But you are not a man my father would allow me to marry if I were to fall in love with you," she said.

"We'll figure out the rest. I'm willing to open my heart to you as long as you're willing to consider sexual congress," he said. "What do you think, Princess?"

"Mr. Reigns, are you asking to be my secret suitor for your pleasure?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "that's exactly what I am doing you beautiful girl," he said making her heart rate pick up. "Princess?"

"I will search your heart as long as you allow me to and I will take into great consideration engaging in sexual congress with you," she said giving Roman a smile that reached his eyes.

"You will not be sorry, Princess," he said.

"I should hope not, Mr. Reigns," she said, "but you posing as a secret suitor is dangerous for you. Why the risk?"

"You're worth whatever risk I have to take to get you into my bed," he said with a smile, "but I should like to know your heart as well. And as long as we're doing this please call me Roman," he said.

" _Roman_ ," she said to him as his cock twitched in appreciation. The sound of his name on his lips sounded perfect.

"Alexandra," he said with a soft smile as her bright blue innocent eyes looked deep into his blue grey orbs. The magnetic pull between them pulling them closer till Alexandra was wrapped up in Roman's arms as she wrapped her arm around his waist. He nuzzled at her nose before his lips were on hers. He slid his tongue along her soft full lips before she parted them granting his tongue access to her mouth. His tongue slid into hers with a dominating force as it found hers. She sucked and kissed his tongue back as his hand slid from her waist to the backside of her skirts pulling her body closer to his. She felt his hard body up against hers and it weakened her. The kiss growing deeper and more passionate.

"Your Highness," said her butler Carlisle after clearing his throat.

Frightened Alexandra pulled away from Roman and straightened her skirts and blouse as Roman turned away to adjust himself. "Yes, Carlisle," she said breathlessly hoping the man would not say anything to her father about what he had witnessed because she knew it would not go well for Roman if he had.

"Sir Cesaro has come to call," he said, "He requests your presences in the sitting room."

"Yes, Carlisle," she said as she looked at Roman as he held his hand to the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Another suitor."

"It's okay, Alexandra," he said before she laid the brush to the horse down on the stable floor.

Alexandra started her walk past Carlisle as she stopped, "Please don't tell father."

"Your secret is safe with me, Your Highness," he said with a smile. Carlisle was the most trusted butler and if he said his secret was safe with him Alexandra knew that it would be. He bowed to her as she took her leave with Roman following behind her until Carlisle stopped him. "Be kind to the Princess," he said, "I see the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. Be gentle with her. I will keep quiet but if you hurt her I will be forced to tell the King," he said in a whisper.

"I will not hurt her," said Roman and he meant it. He made a deal with her he was not going to hurt her and if she decided not to engage in sexual congress with him that would be just that he would not ask of her to do something she didn't want to do. She was safe with him after all he had been hired to protect her; he just didn't know how deeply his duties would run.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Roman's conversation in the bar with Dean? Why has he become so obsessed with getting Alexandra into his bed? What did you think of his time with Alexandra in the stable? Do you believe that it's Roman's personality that stops Alexandra from developing any other feelings for him? Do you think she would be more willing if he was different toward her? What are your thoughts on the deal they made with each other? Do you think they could end up falling in love? What about him being her secret suitor? Would that go well with the king? What do you think of Carlisle catching them kissing? Do you think he will break his promise and tell the King? What about what he said to Roman? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Alexandra made her way through the palace doors and made her way to the sitting room. She was thrilled to see one of her suitors; Cesaro Earl of Cambridge. "My Lord," she said as she greeted him with a curtsey.

"Your Royal Highness," he said with a bow before he walked over to her and took her hand. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of her soft hand. "How are you today?"

"I'm well," she said, "how are you, My Lord," she asked.

"I'm doing quite well, my day has brightened now that I have seen you," he said. "May I trouble you for a walk in the garden?" he asked.

"It will be my pleasure, My Lord," she said with a soft smile and her blue eyes shining.

"Very well," he said extending his arm out to her. She wrapped her hand around his forearm and he covered her hand with his before he escorted her out to the garden. Cesaro was Alexandra's favorite suitors. He had a lot of potential of becoming her future spouse if it had come down to that and she was scarce for time. She knew it. They connected on many levels of intellect more than she did with any of her other suitors. He listened to her and she listened to him. They could talk for hours. She loved to be with him but she knew she did not love him. There was no romantic spark between them. They were good friends. "It's a lovely day wouldn't you say, Princess?"

"Beautiful," she said with a smile as they walked through the garden. "To what do I owe the surprise of your visit today?"

"I believed that you were due some company," he said, "you barely leave the palace. It must be boring."

"I find ways to entertain myself," she said with a smile. "But I do so ever enjoy your company. You know you are my favorite of all my suitors."

"Ah, that pleases me, Princess," he said with a smile. "How is your father's health?" he asked.

"He's getting worse," she said. "I don't think there's too much more time left for my father. I hate to see him so ill. The doctor said it is going to get worse."

"I'm sorry," he said as he stroked her knuckles with his thumbs. "I have been in communication with Lord Dolph, he told me you were not doing well the last time he was in your presence."

"I was in need of some rest," she said, "and he did spring the idea of being wed to him and having children with him on me as well. I was overwhelmed truly," she said.

"I am sure that you were, My princess. I know that the thought of being wed distresses you so. You want to love before you wed, I understand your desires and your needs but Princess sometimes you just have to wed the best man that you can. I am sure you could wed me someday."

"I think that may be a possibility," she said with a soft smile. "With my father's declining health it won't be long till I need to take the throne. He told me I will not be able to take the throne until I am married. The faster his health declines," she said as they take a seat on a bench in the garden taking in the beautiful surroundings around them. The birds were chirping, butterflies flying about and the smell of daffodils and lilies were in the air. "The less time I have to procure a husband and to marry. I'm in the middle of my season as you know. I hope to have a husband by the time my season is over. I don't think my father will be around for my next."

"Who would take the throne if you're not married by the time your father passes on?"

"I don't think there would be any other choice but to give me the throne whether I am betrothed or not," she said. "Have you ever engaged in sex?" she asked.

"I am a man," he said with an amused smile. "I do have physical needs to attend to," he said. "I do keep mistresses to tend to those needs but if I were to hold your hand in marriage it would be exclusive and there would only be you," he said. "Is that what you worry about?"

"No," she said. "I don't worry about sex at all," she said but that was half true she never gave sex a thought before until Roman came along. When he came along she started feeling things in her body and in parts of her body she had never felt before. His voice alone caused a dampness between her legs and made her breasts full and heavy. No other man she had been around had that effect on her. He made parts of her body ache that never ached before. Cesaro hadn't even awoken those feelings inside of her. "What do you think it would be like if you and I were wed?"

"I think it would be an interesting experience. I would be a happy man to say the least. Are you proposing to me, Princess?"

"No," she said, "I'm just wondering what marriage would be like between us. Would we have children, would you allow me to continue my business ventures?"

"If you wanted to continue your business ventures I would be in no position to stop you however you do realize once you are betrothed and wedded that any business you maintain will no longer be in your power but in the power of the lucky man that calls you his wife?"

"I'm aware, My Lord," she said, "And I don't want to jeopardize my business for married life. My businesses mean too much to me, my independence means too much to me. I do not see why I would have to forfeit control of my businesses to my husband when I will be ruling over England. It just does not make sense to me."

"I know," he said, "but should you and I ever marry, Alexandra." He didn't use her first name very often as she very rarely used his so if he used her first name it was because he was being sincere and serious about what he was saying. "I would never force you to forfeit your businesses. I would allow you to have full control of them as well as your residences."

"That's relieving to know," she said with a smile. "I just don't want to give up my independence and my life of freedom. I have worked hard to make my businesses successful and to own many properties throughout England as well as my many residences I own. I do not want to see a man take the credit from me and take what I worked so hard for away from me. You please me with allowing me to keep my independence shall we ever wed."

"I'm not a brute, Alexandra," he said, "I will allow you to do whatever your heart desires and allow you all the independence you need as long as you fulfill my needs."

"And what would those needs be?" she asked.

"I desire a lot of heirs and heiresses. I desire to have 8 children," he said, "and of course I would need you to tend to my physical needs. As long as you can do that then I will grant you your independence and freedom."

"How would I find the time to be free and independent with that type of lot?" she asked. "I believe 4 children would suffice not 8, My Lord."

"We'll discuss. I will do what I need to make you happy and I will help you rule over England should you choose me to be your husband."

"That's a tempting offer but I'm not a prize to be won," she said. "I'm a woman. I have thoughts and dreams. I have feelings too. I'm more than a trophy to be shown off and exploited," she said.

"Ah my dear, Alexandra it is me that will be exploited on your arm as you rule over the land. If I gave your father my addresses to marry you would you comply?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I would comply just yet," she said, "I need some time before I can make a decision."

"I'll be ready for you when you finally make a decision. You and I would suit each other well. I do love the independence you possess. You are a beautiful woman, a rare beauty among the women your age. You're delicate but strong. You're fierce as well. You're not like most women in the kingdom which is interesting because your life has been so sheltered," he said talking of her sheltered childhood. After Alexandra's mother died when she was younger she barely left the palace walls. She spent most of her childhood being tutored for her schooling, hidden behind the walls keeping her from seeing the world. She learned of many things by reading. The only friends she maintained were those of nobility and nothing less. Her father kept her secluded from the world except on rare occasions when they ventured to faraway lands but even there she was secluded from the masses, spending a lonely childhood with no siblings and a father that barely paid much attention to her. She spent her childhood alone, making friends with the servants in her palace and attending balls and masquerades with nobility and royalty. It was boring and lonely. She had dreams of leaving the palace more but still at her age she very rarely left the gates of the palace.

"Maybe my seclusion made me different than those in the kingdom," she said with a smile. "I do wish to go on adventures and see the world someday."

"Someday," he said with a smile. "I will give you the world if you would let me," he said making her smile.

"Maybe you will," she said as they hooked arms and sat enjoying the afternoon together as Roman kept a close watch on them.

"Do you believe Alexandra will ever marry?" asked King Arthur's sister Princess Victoria as she paced back and forth in his study.

"I believe that one day Alexandra will wed the man she desires," he said in response. "I made a deal with her that she could marry when she fell in love."

"You made a deal with the Princess Alexandra, your daughter? You made a deal with her?" she asked.

"I did, she's as stubborn as her mother, Victoria. I have no choice. If I force her hand into marriage she is going to rebel and end up with some street urchin. I have done my best to keep her hidden from the lifestyles of the less fortunate but if she rebels against me because I'm forcing her hand into marriage or forcing her to marry someone she does not desire I am risking losing her. I will not force her to marry until her heart is in it," he said before coughing.

"But Arthur do you not hear yourself? You're not getting any better. Alexandra needs to marry so that she can take the throne. You do not have time to wait for her heart to be in it. Her heart can be in it after the marriage."

"I know I am not well but Alexandra is the love of my life since Sophia's passing. She is what I have left. I cannot risk losing her because I force her hand into something she does not desire. If you ask me I believe that the Earl of Cambridge has a pretty good chance of being wed to Alexandra. She looks at him differently than the others but I cannot be certain until she says yes."

"You have allowed Alexandra to run wild long enough. You have let her run wild the last 15 years of her life. You allowed her to run this palace instead of being a father to her you allowed the servants and the maids to raise her for you. Sophia would not have allowed that. Now she is out in the world doing things a woman should not do like owning businesses and renting out properties. That is a man's job but you allow her the freedom to do as she chooses. Alexandra should have married 2 years ago," she said as Arthur looked at his sister. They were very much opposites of each other. He was the first born of their parents' children securing him the throne after his mother Queen Isabelle passed away leaving the throne to him. Princess Victoria was not happy that he secured the seat on the throne after their mother's passing and when he married Sophia she prayed and hoped that they would never reproduce because a child between Sophia and Arthur would become the next one in line for the throne. If they never had children she would be next in line to rule England but then Alexandra was born making her the next in line. Victoria resented her niece for that fact.

"Two years ago, she was a child. She is 18 years old right now," said King Arthur. "I have not let her run wild but simply achieve her dreams. There is nothing wrong with her owning businesses or properties. She's going to make a great Queen when she takes the throne."

"Should she marry," she said with a smile. "I believe that if Alexandra does not marry by the end of her season that you should allow me to take the throne instead of Alexandra because of your health."

"Nonsense, Victoria. You have had a vendetta against Alexandra since the day she was born. She will be the next ruler of England wed or not. She will have time to find a husband shall she not find one now. And you talk of me allowing her to run wild I do not remember you offering your hand of assistance in raising her after her mother passed away."

"Because you secluded her from her family and the people she knew. You kept her secluded, Arthur."

"You made no effort, Victoria," he said. "The rule is and I quote when the ruling monarch can no longer rule the kingdom they may either step down, handing the crown to their first born child if there is no heir to the ruling monarch then the monarch will hand the crown to the next brother or sister in line. If the ruling monarch should perish before their rule is done the heir or heiress of the monarch will be given the throne as long as they are 18 years or older, should the heir not be 18 years old the sibling of the ruling monarch will take the throne until the heir or heiress becomes of age to rule the kingdom. I will not give you the crown, Victoria whether I die ruling England or give up my crown it will be to the heiress my daughter Alexandra."

"That's just ridiculous, Arthur, she cannot do this alone," she said.

"Alexandra is a lot stronger than you believe," he said. "I believe she can do it alone if she really needed to."

"That's your opinion," she said. "She's young and I believe it's ridiculous that you're waiting for her heart to decide instead of forcing her into a marriage."

"You may enjoy the lonely life that you lead but I will not. I believe Alexandra should be happy and should be able to love who she is wed to, not be forced. It is my call, Victoria," he said, "you may leave now."

"I will," she said before leaving his study. He sat down on his chair and shook his head. Victoria had never liked Alexandra and had a strong bitterness toward her because of her jealousy. King Arthur had spent years having Alexandra secluded and protected from the world but the main reason he felt she needed protection was because of Victoria. He never knew what her bitterness and envy could lead to. Alexandra was the one thing that stood in her way of taking the throne once King Arthur passed away or gave up the throne. He did not feel well about that, not at all. "Carlisle," he said to the butler as he came in to bring him tea.

"Yes, your majesty?" he asked.

"Tell Roman that I wish to see him please," he said.

"Right away," said Carlisle as he headed out of the study but stopped at the door. "Your majesty, I believe that the Princess will be ready to marry sooner than you believe."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Carlisle, thank-you," he said with a small smile before Carlisle headed out to the garden to retrieve Roman for the king.

"Mr. Reigns," said Carlisle startling him from watching Alexandra and Cesaro together. He did not like the way he made her laugh or the way he made her smile. He wanted to be the source of her laughter and the source of her smile. He didn't like watching anyone else do it.

"Yes, Carlisle?" he asked.

"King Arthur requests your presence in his study," he said. "He seems like it is an important matter so you shouldn't hesitate."

"I'm on my way," he said before he made his way to the King's study. "You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" he asked standing in the doorway of the study as King Arthur sat at his desk.

"Yes, Roman, please come in, shut the door behind you, we need to have a talk," he said before Roman did as he said.

 **A/N: What did you think of Cesaro and Alexandra? Do you think that Cesaro stands a chance to marry her? What did you think of their discussion for kids and marriage and the life he promised her? What about Alexandra's childhood? What are your thoughts on Alexandra's aunt Victoria? Do you believe Victoria is jealous of her niece? Is King Arthur correct when he says he will not force Alexandra to marry because he will lose her? Do you think he would? Is King Arthur right for not trusting her? What do you think he wanted to see Roman for and talk to him about? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"How are you Mr. Reigns?" asked King Arthur as Roman sat in the chair drumming his fingers on the arm of it.

"I'm well," he replied, "How are you, Your Majesty?"

"I've been better," he said before he went into a coughing fit and then had to catch his breath before he spoke again. "My concern lies with Alexandra," he said. "I just had an unfortunate and unpleasant meeting with her Aunt Victoria, Princess Victoria of Wales. She is not happy about Alexandra not marrying as well as her taking the throne. She believes that Alexandra is not ready to take the throne after I step down or pass on. I believe that she is. She may be the youngest ruler of the kingdom but she has been properly trained and educated in such matters."

"I'm sure Alexandra is more than ready to take the throne," he said, "she's intelligent and she seems to know what she wants and doesn't want in her life. I believe that even though she is young she is ready to rule."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Mr. Reigns," he said, "but my concern doesn't lie with her ability to rule the kingdom, my concern lies with her Aunt Victoria."

"Is Princess Victoria a threat to Princess Alexandra?" he asked.

"I believe that she may be a threat to Alexandra's safety. You see, Mr. Reigns, our mother Queen Isabelle ruled over England for years before her untimely death where I was given the throne because I was the eldest child of her and my father leaving Victoria to remain a Princess. Victoria was not happy that I had been given the throne, it enraged her. She was jealous for years. She had hoped that I would never marry and if something were to happen to me she would take the throne but when I married Alexandra's mother she was not at all happy. Then the day Alexandra was born making her the new heiress of the throne Victoria was even more enraged. She has not been happy with Alexandra since the day she was born because she took her place in line for the throne. She knows the time is approaching for Alexandra to take the throne. She is hoping that I change my mind and give her the throne because of Alexandra's age but I will not change my mind. Alexandra will rule the kingdom if she wishes to. If something happens to me and Alexandra chooses not to rule Victoria will be given the throne just as if something were to happen to Alexandra Victoria would be next in line for the throne. I want more protection on Alexandra. I don't like to believe that Victoria is capable of harming her niece but wealth and power can make the nicest of people do anything. I do not wish to see something happen to my only daughter and the love of my life because of her aunt's jealousy. I need you to be aware at all times. You need to remain alert of the surroundings do not let Alexandra venture out of your sight. Do not allow her to accept drinks from strangers. I know Alexandra is independent but her safety is my number one concern nothing else matters more to me."

"It matters a great deal to me as well, Your Majesty. I will continue to be alert of our surroundings. She is in good hands you can trust me I will make sure no harm comes her way."

"I thank you, Mr. Reigns. How are you two getting along?"

"She's stubborn at times but we get along well," he said. "There are times she's a bit complicated to manage but for the most part she is wonderful. I enjoy working with her," he said knowing that soon he would enjoy working with her even more. Alexandra had no idea what all Roman could offer her and what he had in mind for her.

"I'm pleased to hear it. A couple weeks ago she came to me asking me to find her a new guard and to replace you. I told her to take the time to give you a chance, get to know you. I have read about you, you're great at what you do. I wouldn't want anyone else to protect my precious Alexandra. I'm glad that you two get along well as for the stubbornness," he said, "she is her mother's daughter. I'm afraid she has inherited the worst traits of both her mother and me. Sophia was intelligent much like Alexandra is but she was stubborn. She was set in her ways, she knew what she wanted and what she didn't want. She was a beautiful woman that I loved the moment that I met her. She was a rare beauty much like Alexandra. Alexandra is like her mother in that way she inherited her beauty and intelligence but she can be stubborn as they come, Mr. Reigns. I didn't expect her to be an easy task for you but like her mother she has a beautiful and caring soul. She won't always be difficult."

"I hope not," said Roman. "Alexandra asked for a new guard?" He couldn't believe that he had affected that much that she would request a new guard.

"Yes," he said. "But she has not complained recently. That's why I asked how you two were getting along. I prefer that Alexandra remain happy. Her happiness and safety are my two biggest concerns."

"I will make sure she is happy," said Roman implying more than he should when talking to King Arthur but King Arthur hadn't picked up on his tone. Roman wanted to make Alexandra happy but not in the ways the King imagined for his one and only daughter. Roman was a man that believed love was no longer possible in his heart; he would never love anyone again, he would never allow himself to.

"That's all that I ask and keep her safe," he said.

"Your wish is my command," said Roman before the King dismissed him to go look after Alexandra.

"Has your guest departed?" inquired Roman as he caught up to Alexandra in the garden.

"Yes, Roman," she said. "Cesaro has departed for the afternoon."

"You asked your father for a new guard?"

"A couple weeks ago yes I did," she said honestly as they took a seat on the bench in the garden. "You came in here like a brute force, Roman," she said taking his hand into hers surprising him with the intimate touch. "You were kissing me, talking about bedding me. I didn't know how to react. You do things to me, things no other man has ever done. I was scared. I was scared of you, the feelings you gave me. I wanted to protect myself from what I never knew before. The only way for that to happen was to get a new guard but I'm glad my father didn't listen to me."

"I'm glad he didn't listen as well," he said before bringing her dainty hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Do you love Cesaro?"

"I do not love him," she said honestly.

"You two seemed so friendly," he said.

"Yes we are friendly but I do not love him. Cesaro understands who I am better than my other suitors. He is on the same level intellect as I am. He has asked for my hand but I will not give it to him. My heart has to be in it not just my mind." Roman couldn't understand why that pleased him as much as it did but hearing her tell him that she didn't love Cesaro and would not give him her hand in marriage brought a smile to his face and pleased him. "Tell me about you, Roman. I know very little about you. I wish to know more."

"What do you wish to know, Alexandra, I'll tell you anything you wish."

"Where are you from? What was your childhood like?" she asks.

"I was born in Romania, I lived in Italy from the time I was 16 years old and we moved around a lot when I was a child. My Papa and Mama were gypsies. We lived anywhere my papa could find work. My mama died when I was 8 years old from a disease. She grew very ill and in a matter of time she was gone. I started to work as a farm hand, stable boy when I was 7 years old and worked as one until I was 16 years old."

"You're a gypsy?" she asked him surprised by the information.

"I am," he said with a soft smile. "I'm a full blooded gypsy."

"Aren't gypsies thieves?" she asked.

"Not all of them are, some gypsies may be but most of them are hard workers, they choose to do the work most won't do and take lower wages. My papa worked on farms and in stables. He did the dirtiest of jobs just to put food onto our table. When my mama died it changed him. He wasn't the same man he used to be. He grew angry and bitter. He loved my mama so. After her death," he said squeezing her hand softly. "I became the brunt of his anger. He took a lot of things out on me. He beat me around when he needed to, to help him get his anger out."

"I'm sorry," she said as she looked into his blue-grey eyes with her soft deep blue eyes. Roman could see the sympathy there. "I lost my mom when I was 3 years old. It changed my father too."

"How did you lose your mother?"

"She got sick. She grew very ill one day and never recovered from her illness. I don't remember her much but my father tells me I remind him of her every day. I can remember what she looked like and remember her singing me songs before bed but that's all I can remember of her. Do you remember your Mama?"

"Yes she was a lovely woman," he said softly and for the first time since Alexandra met Roman he had a softness and sweetness to his voice. "We didn't have a lot of money so she did the best that she could do. Most of the time she went without eating so that my brothers, my sisters and I could eat, she would tuck us into bed at night and tell us stories that her grandmother told her. She loved us a lot. She would have wanted to see us all become something, to become someone, to have the world but after she died my papa had other plans," he said as his voice cracked a bit, Alexandra moved closer to him on the bench and he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist filling her stomach with butterflies. "My sisters were 11 and 14 when my mama passed away. My father sold them off for money and sold them into marriage. I never saw them again. I miss them terribly. My two older brothers were 12 and 10 my dad put us to work. He sent my brothers away leaving me with him because I was too young. He made me work stables and be a farm hand. We worked together until I was 16 years old when I ran away to start my life new, to be a different person to be someone better. I wanted more in life than to live my life working in stables. I wanted more than life was giving me in Romania. I escaped to Italy. I met a woman that took me into her home, she tutored me, taught me how to read and how to write. She gave me an education. She gave me a place to stay. I worked for her to pay for my lessons and to keep a roof over my head and to have food to eat. She treated me well. She cared for me. She had a daughter that was a year younger than me," he said as Alexandra sat listening to his story. Her heart ached for him and the life that he lived as a child. It was much different than hers. She had never heard of a life where people barely had food to eat and children had to work. His story was new to her. "She was beautiful. She had long dark hair that fell to her knees, the darkest eyes I had ever seen and these beautiful lips her name was the most beautiful I had ever heard in my life; Adelina. She lit up my entire world. She was the first girl I ever encountered in my life but I loved her so. I never knew what love was until I met Adelina. We fell in love with each other and we hid it from her mother because we knew she wouldn't be happy that her daughter was involved with a gypsy, a man with no money to his name. One night I snuck into Adelina's bedroom thinking that her mother was sleeping, we made love to each other that night for the first time for each of us. Her mother caught us and kicked me out. Adelina left with me that night and we ran off to marry one another. She was the love of my life. I took a job as a guard so that I could provide for us, give her a life she deserved and desired. I wanted to give her everything but our lives together was cut short. She was in a carriage accident on the way into a shop in town after meeting with her midwife to get baby clothes. She didn't make it back. I lost Adelina and our unborn child. It destroyed me, it broke me and tore me apart. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. I never thought I would love someone as much as I loved Adelina. I didn't know I was capable of loving someone like that but I did. She had my heart and the day she left I lost a piece of my heart. I lost my world that day. I fled from Italy and came to London to escape the pain and the heartache. I wanted a new life. I worked numerous guard jobs for a few years until I took the job from your father to be your guard. I have lived a wild and crazy life since Adelina left, drinking, sex, gambling," he said shaking his head. "Nothing kills the pain of losing the woman I loved the most. It's like I'm always searching for something, someone but never find it."

"Roman," said Alexandra with so much sadness and sympathy in her voice for him. Her heart hurt for him. He had lived a life she had never heard of, a life of so much pain, heartache and loss. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's like you're searching for Adelina in every woman that you meet but you can't find her and that leaves a hole in your heart," she said as Roman's eyes met hers. He had tears in his eyes and one escaped free when she made the realization of what he was searching for. She reached up and wiped his tear away. He gave her a soft smile before he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He had never met anyone as beautiful as Adelina until he met Alexandra. Alexandra reminded him of Adelina in many ways. It was hard not to see Adelina when he saw Alexandra and spent time with her.

"What about you? What was your childhood like? I imagine it was a life of luxury and a life of expense."

"I barely left the palace gates," she said as they held hands, their fingers laced together and Roman's arm wrapped around her waist holding her close to him. "My father kept me sheltered from the world outside of here. He hired the finest tutors to teach me my charms, teach me my math lessons and my reading lessons. I had tutors to teach me French, Spanish and German; tutors to teach me skills in music. I lived a lonely childhood secluded from society," she said. "My only friends were my servants. Carlisle has been here since I was a little girl. He is one of my most trusted and closest friends. My father was too busy to be bothered with me most of the time. The only time I left the palace was when we went on trips to different places but even then I was still secluded from society not allowed outside the palace walls. I went to balls and masquerades but that was the extent of socialization that I received. Life was lonely but I know my father loves me. It wasn't the life you would imagine for a princess but it was my life."

"He kept you sheltered," he said.

"I'm still sheltered going into town and visiting my properties are as far as I can go. I want to be free someday, I want to see the world."

"Why does he shelter you?" he asked.

"Fear, I don't know, Roman," she said leaning her head on his shoulder. He leaned down and kissed the top of her strawberry blonde hair. "But I want to have a normal life just for a day. Just once spend time outside the palace gates."

"We can make that happen," he said softly with a smile.

"I don't see how," she said.

"You'll see. I have my ways," he said with promise in his voice. "Just trust me. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you," she said with a soft smile. "How old are you," she asked.

"I am four and twenty," he said which was six years older than her eight and ten. He had seen the world maybe not the way he had wished but he had seen the world and she for the first time in her life envied him for that. Roman lifted her chin so that her deep blue eyes were looking into his blue-grey eyes. He leaned down and took her mouth, gliding his tongue across her soft lips. She opened her mouth granting him access to her mouth, his tongue licked hers, he sucked on her tongue. He deepened the kiss making her moan into his mouth at his skill. His hand rubbing her spine as he kissed her deep, his tongue softly licked hers, twisted and twirled with hers, intertwining their tongues. She brought her free hand up to his face, cupping his cheek as they shared a passionate kiss which left them both breathless as a soft drizzle began to fall on them. Roman stood up and took her hand as the soft drizzle turned into a downpour. They ran to the palace doors but neither of them made it into the palace dry. He escorted Alexandra to her bedchamber to change before he went to his own bedchamber to change out of his soaked clothes. He could not stop thinking about her, thinking about her sheltered life. He wanted her to see the world and he wanted to be the man to show her the world. For the first time since Roman had met her his mind was not on ways to get her into the bed but on ways to sneak her out of the palace to show her what life was all about beyond the palace, beyond the balls and beyond the masquerades.

 ***A/N: What did you think of King Arthur asking Roman to have more protection on Alexandra? Do you believe he should be worried about Victoria? What did you think of King Arthur telling Roman that Alexandra requested a new guard? Why do you think Roman was happy to hear that Alexandra doesn't love Cesaro? What did you think of Roman's childhood? Or his life in general? Are you surprised he is a gypsy? What did you think of Alexandra's reaction to his childhood and his life after Adelina? What about Roman's reaction to Alexandra's childhood? Why do you think it's so important to Roman to show Alexandra life beyond the palace? Do you think he will succeed in showing her what is beyond the palace gates? Do you think things are changing between the two of them? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"You seem to be very jovial this morning," said King Arthur as his daughter poured them each a cup of tea.

"I'm quite pleasant," she said with a smile as she stirred their tea. "How is your health, Father?" she asked taking his cup of tea to him as he sat on the cushioned chair in the study as the morning sun shined through the window.

"My health is up today better than yesterday," he said with a smile, "so tell me Alexandra, dear you've been in good spirits lately. What has you so jovial and full of life lately? I'm seeing a new and refreshed Alexandra."

"Nothing," she said with a smile. "I'm just jovial and enjoying life day by day father," she said before taking a sip of her tea. She joined him in sitting down as she took a seat in the chair next to him. "It's a beautiful morning is it not?"

"It's beautiful," he said as he smiled over the rim of his tea cup. "It esteems me to see you so happy Alexandra, is there a certain young man that has caught your attention, could you be closer to marrying and becoming wed?"

"Father," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm just trying to see what is preoccupying all of your time as of late. Your suitors have come to call and you have dismissed them. You haven't spent time with any of them since 3 sennights have passed yet you're out of the house most of the day, you're happier than usual and you keep late hours returning back to the palace, spending more time with Mr. Reigns I have noticed even on his days off," he said. "What is keeping you so occupied that you are dismissing your suitors?"

"I'm having fun father no need to worry yourself about me. Worry of your health and I'll worry of my happiness," she said with a smile as she thought about Roman. Three sennights have passed since they talked about their arrangement of him being a secret suitor of hers and since she saw him in a new light after he told her of his childhood and the loss of his beloved wife Adelina and their unborn child. She had grown quite a fondness for Mr. Reigns more so than she ever thought she would. Mr. Reigns and Alexandra had spent endless days together going on fun adventures with one another spending the day outside of the palace walls. Alexandra was grateful for that to enjoy England through her eyes and not through her ears and the stories she often heard about the world outside of the palace gates.

It had been 3 sennights since Alexandra and Roman began their secret courtship. He was courting her without her father's permission and she enjoyed every moment of it. She enjoyed their adventures together whether it was to sail on a boat for the afternoon, visit the island, spending days walking through the sand, laughing as they splash water on each other in the ocean. She enjoyed him taking her fishing and just taking her around to enjoy life. She enjoyed any moment that she got with him. Her fondness of him posed as a problem because at the end of the day she was the princess intended to marry into royalty and marry into wealth while he was a gypsy that had fallen in love with a princess he knew he would never be able to have. "Having fun?" asked Arthur snapping his young daughter out of her thoughts of the gypsy lover that had stolen her heart; the only thing he had ever stolen. "While I'm esteemed you're having fun I would much rather you spend that time procuring a spouse. Your season is almost over and the time is winding down. My health is not improving it's what it is depending on the day. I want you to take over the throne and rule the kingdom, Alexandra."

"I know father but must I be wed to take the throne? Why can I not live my life freely until I'm ready to wed?"

"Alexandra," he said placing his tea cup down on the table beside him. "I understand you're not ready to take a husband and to be wed but remember when ruling a country one must produce an heiress or heir to take the throne to keep the family lineage going. I would feel better knowing you're wed and able to produce an heiress or heir to take the throne or your Aunt Victoria will be next in line to take the throne should she outlive you and I."

"Is that what life is about father, you would rather wed me off to know that our family lineage is secure than to have me marry for love? What if I am barren, father, what if I cannot produce an heir or heiress?"

"Then your cousin Anastasia would take the throne or her children after your passing. I'm sure you are not barren, Alexandra do not say such things. Your Aunt Victoria is growing impatient. You're ten and eight, Alexandra. You are a beautiful young woman and you have suitors willing and ready to take your hand into marriage. Please consider your suitors do not dismiss them away when they come to call."

"Father," she said letting out a deep breath, "what if my heart didn't lie with money or someone from royalty, what if my heart lied with a gypsy or someone of a lower status than I but treated me well? Would you allow such an arrangement? Would you allow me to marry someone that I truly loved no matter of social status or do you require a Duke or an Earl or maybe even a prince," she said.

"Alexandra," he said, "Gypsies are rakes the whole lot of them. They are nothing but trouble why would your heart fond over a gypsy?"

"What if there was a gypsy that treated me well?"

"Alexandra, enough of this gypsy talk!" he shouted startling Alexandra. "No daughter of mine and the princess of England will fond over a gypsy. I'm giving you free will to choose your spouse. I'm giving you free will to choose a man that you love as long as your spouse to be is in good social standing with society and must come from money. You deserve more than some chap with poor social standing and from poverty. He has more to gain and you have more to lose. You will NOT fond over a gypsy. Is there a gypsy, Alexandra?"

"No father," she said putting her tea cup down. "You told me I could marry for love. What if I don't love someone that comes from money?"

"Alexandra, I'm giving you free will to choose a spouse but your time is running out. If you don't have a spouse in mind by the end of your season I will make the choice for you," he threatened, "are we clear?" he asked.

"Clear, Father," she said giving him the piercing look her mother Sophia had given him when she was upset. He didn't like having to threaten her but the kingdom of England and its future rested in her hands. He needed to make sure she would wed someone desirable but he knew that deep down forbidding her the choice would make her rebel; she was after all her mother's daughter strong-willed and stubborn.

"Alexandra," he said softening his tone, taking her hands into his. "I wish you nothing but happiness. I want you to be happy, marry someone you love but someone that can take care of you, someone that can give you the riches you desire. Marrying anyone less than that I'm frightened that you will be miserable when the façade of love wears off. I don't think someone not socially refined is someone worthy of being wedded to the Queen of England, let's face it, Alexandra that's what your future entails, you will be the Queen of England. You cannot afford to be wed to someone with poor social standing."

"Then why let me choose at all, Father? Why give me the option to choose the one I want to wed if he is not up to your social standards or up to your social standing? I don't want to wed. I don't want to be wed to anyone. If I can't wed the one I love then I will not wed at all," she said before she pulled her hands from his upset. She stood smoothing out her plum skirt and made her way to the door. "Good day, Father," she said with her hand on the knob.

"Alexandra," he sighed. "There is a masquerade two nights from now. You are expected to attend with Prince Barrett."

"Okay, Father," she said with distaste in her voice. Arthur knew his daughter was upset with him as she stormed out of the study. She reminded him so much of her mother it scared him sometimes. He knew at the end of the day no matter how much he tried to force a spouse upon her that in the end she would end up with what she wanted. Her strong-willed personality and stubbornness was too much for him to defeat. He let out a deep breath and fell into deep thought of a way to keep her happy while Alexandra went to the library, her favorite place to be to escape reality as she often did and live in her fantasy world. It was much better than the one she inhabited.

Alexandra sat in a large grey chair in the library getting lost in a book when Roman walked into the library. He smiled at her as she sat contently reading a book lost in her own world. "Afternoon, Beautiful," he said with a smile snapping her out of her imaginary world she so wished to be a part of.

Alexandra looked at Roman and her breath stilled, her heartbeat increasing as she closed the book to see her gypsy lover standing in front of her wearing a pair of doe skin breeches, a cream colored shirt and an olive green overcoat with is raven black hair smoothed back into a bun. He was the epitome of perfection and beautiful enough to still a woman's equanimity. He walked with a sexual grace as he made his way to her. She stood anticipating his arrival and before he could make it to her she ran to his arms. He wrapped her up in his arms and she took in his scent of tobacco and cologne. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her close to his body. "What upsets you?" he asked.

"My father," she said as she reluctantly let go of him but he took her hand into his and led her over to the chair she sat in. He took a seat and guided her onto his lap. "He wants me to be married by the end of my season. My season ends in 4 sennights," she said, "I have no desire to wed any of my suitors."

"Alexandra," he said wrapping his arm around her waist. "You don't have long for your season to end. I am aware."

"I don't want to marry someone I don't love, Roman," she said looking at him with the bluest eyes he had ever seen. "I want to marry someone I love, love and happiness mean more to me than all the riches in the world."

"I know, Alexandra but you're destined to be the Queen of England, you can't marry someone that doesn't come from the riches."

"Why not? A poor boy can marry a princess, a gypsy can marry a princess," she said stilling his breath. He wasn't expecting that to be said but it filled him with warmth. He had grown a fondness for her as well. He enjoyed their time together and enjoyed showing her the world. He enjoyed taking her on adventures, seeing her smile, watching her see the world through her eyes and enjoy herself. When she was outside of the palace it was the happiest he had seen her and the most care free she had ever been. Her laughter was music to his ears and her smile melted his heart. His goal of bedding her slowly faded away and became much more than that it became the quest to one day become her spouse, marry her and give her the love she searched for but he knew it was impossible. She was too good for him. She was above him on the social ladder. She grew up in a palace, servants at hand, she was destined to be the Queen of England there was no place for a love sick gypsy in her life. He knew it was impossible but he wanted it anyway. If he didn't' have her, he would have no one.

"Alexandra," he breathed making her stomach flutter.

"If you're going to tell me too that I can't marry the man that I love then I don't want to hear it. I can't bear to hear it again, Roman," she said leaning her head onto his shoulder. "My heart knows what it wants and what it desires. I can't sway it away from you," she said as she felt him tense beneath her. "I love you, Roman. If I can't marry you, I won't marry anyone."

"Alexandra," he said rubbing the side of her thigh. "I'm no good for you. You're going to be the Queen of England, you can't marry a gypsy. You're too good for me. I'm a guard nothing more while I love you too you and I will never be married. Society will never allow its queen to marry a poor gypsy boy the sad truth that it is it will never happen."

"Then maybe I don't want to do what society expects me to do," she said, "if I marry someone I don't love what's the point in being in a loveless marriage. If I cannot be happy what good would I do for England?"

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"Maybe I don't want to rule England, maybe I don't want to be the Queen of England. Maybe I just want to be Alexandra. I'm ten and eight. I am too young to rule a kingdom. I want to live my life. I want to see the world. I don't want to be what society is forming me to be," she spoke honestly. It was not in her heart to rule England if she could not be happy. She wanted a life of happiness nothing more.

"Are you telling me you don't want to rule England?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"It would please my father well if I took the throne but I'm young, Roman. I want time to live my life, time to travel the world and see the world around me. Maybe I don't want to take the throne at all."

"I can't force you to do anything you don't wish to do but you said it would please your father to take the throne but I would take you to see the world and travel the world if you would allow me. I so enjoy our adventures together, Alexandra, I enjoy us and our time together. It hurts me knowing it won't last long that you and I won't end this together but in the mean time I will enjoy you and our time together."

"Roman," she said, "I want to see the world, travel the world as the Queen of England I am obligated to stay here in the palace I have been secluded to my whole life. You see all this," she said showing him the library.

"It's enchanting, magnificent," he said.

"It's my escape from my world, it takes me to a world I wish to inhabit. In this library I can go anywhere, see anything. Dream to be anything I want to be but outside these walls I'm a prisoner in my own life, destined to be something I don't want to be. I love adventure. I love to travel. I want more than a life of royalty and a life of staying in England. I want a life of seeing the world and a life of adventure. What was Italy like?" she asked.

"Italy was a beautiful place, a place I call home. The shores of Italy are beautiful and the sea as clear as your blue eyes. It is perfect. It's a happy place for me there's so much to desire and so much to love about it," he said. "It's a place for love and for lovers. I wish to take you someday."

"I would love that so," she said with a smile. "I would love to see Italy and enjoy its beautiful shores. I wish to enjoy it with you, Roman," she said.

"My Love, I will do whatever I can to make you happy. If your wish is to travel to Italy I should make that wish come true," he said before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "If you didn't take the throne who would rule in your place after your father passes on?"

"My aunt Victoria is next in line behind me," she sighed. "She has been jealous of me since the day I was born. She knows more about ruling a kingdom than I. She deserves it more than I."

"Would you be happy outside the palace walls? In a life outside of royalty?" he asked.

"It would please me," she said with a smile. "It would please me so much. I know my father wishes for me to be happy but ruling England stuck in the palace in a life I would be my own prisoner is not my idea of happiness. I want so much more than this life, Roman."

"I know, Love," he said with a smile as he rubbed the curve of her spine softly. "You are so much happier beyond these walls. You deserve happiness however you wish it to be."

"You're the only one that understands me," she said, "and I love that about you." She pressed a soft kiss to his nape making his breath still as she nuzzled into his neck. "I have to attend a masquerade two fornights from tonight," she said as he caught her hand entangling their fingers. "I'm supposed to accompany Prince Barrett but I don't wish to do so. He is a pompous ass and not worth my while. I would much rather attend the masquerade with you," she said looking up at him with her blue eyes. "Will you attend the masquerade with me?"

He let out a small chuckle and said, "Alexandra, gypsy lovers and gypsy men don't get invited to masquerades. I would be pleased to accompany you to the masquerade but…"

"But nothing," she said, "you can be MY guest. You and I will go together. No one will know it is you," she said with a smile. "We'll be wearing masks. The only one who will know is me my secret gypsy lover," she said with a smile. "Please."

"Your charms arrest me and make me weak," he said. "I will accompany you, My Princess," he said before kissing her nape. "As long as you'll accompany me tonight to see me fence, what do you say, Princess?"

"Okay," she said with a soft smile. "What color should I wear to the masquerade?"

"I enjoy you in blue," he said with a smile, "it makes your beautiful eyes stand out. Blue suits you well. I will wear blue as well."

"Wonderful," she said with excitement before pressing a kiss to his lips. "I curse you, you know," she whispered against his lips.

"Why is that?"

"Because you stole my heart," she said before his mouth took hers and they shared a soft passionate kiss.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Alexandra's talk with her dad? Do you think he truly cares of her happiness? What about him threatening her that he will make the choice if she doesn't? Is that fair to her? What do you think of the progression of Roman's and Alexandra's relationship? Do you think Roman is changing her? What do you think about Alexandra not wanting to be Queen? Do you think that Roman being a gypsy would be bad for her to marry? What about Roman accompanying her to the masquerade she is supposed to attend with Barrett? What of their courtship, do you think it's a good idea? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

All eyes were on her as she walked into the Westfield Masquerade dressed in a light blue gown falling to her feet. Her freckled shoulders exposed for the world to see, her puff sleeves showing off her arms. Strawberry blonde hair pulled up into an array of curls on the top of her head and a light blue mask with dark blue and indigo ribbons hanging down from the beautiful mask hiding her face from the world. Eyes watched her as she made her way down the staircase of the ball room. She spotted him just as he spotted her. Alexandra's breath hitched as she saw the man waiting for her. He was dressed in a navy blue over coat and a white shirt underneath, a pair of navy blue breeches hugging his thunderous thighs, his dark hair covered by a white wig that was pulled back into a ponytail. Alexandra smiled as she made her way to him. "Princess Alexandra," said Prince Wade Barrett as he stepped into her path to Roman.

"Prince Barrett," she said with a forced smile. "How are you this evening?"

"I'm quite well," he said. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank-you," she said with a curtsey. "Have a good evening," she said before she tried to step passed him to make her way to the man waiting for her, the only man she wanted to be with that night.

Prince Barrett grabbed her arm gently stopping her from walking past him. "Would you grant me the honor of dancing with me tonight?"

"We'll see," she said before she walked away from him freeing herself from his grasp. She caught up to Roman as he reached his gloved hand out toward her.

Alexandra smiled and took his hand into her own gloved hand. "Evening, Princess," he said in his deep voice with his beautiful smile causing Alexandra's heart to race. Her palms were getting damp inside her gloves.

"Evening," she said softly with a smile.

"Shall we dance?" he asked.

"It will be my pleasure," she said. Roman's breath was taken away the moment he saw her. Her bare skin exposed on her shoulders showing him a glimpse of her perfect freckled skin, her blue eyes standing out from her mask blending in with her beautiful blue dress. Roman placed his hand in the small of her back and guided her out onto the dance floor in the ball room. Other dancers cleared the floor as they faced each other. Roman wrapped one arm around her waist as hers wrapped around his waist, they held hands as they began to start to waltz.

All eyes were on them as they moved perfectly, gracefully around the ballroom floor. They moved in perfect rhythm together. "You look beautiful tonight," he said to her as they danced.

"You look handsome tonight," she said with a smile.

"How did your father take it that you weren't coming to the masquerade with Prince Barrett?"

"He didn't take it well. I was required to come to the masquerade with him but I refused. I told him I had a date waiting for me," she said.

"And what was his reaction to that?"

"It made him happy to know that I had interest in a man that was attending the masquerade. He expects you to be a Lord or an Earl."

"I'll never be though, Alexandra," he said as they danced. "I wish I could be more for you to give you the life your father asks for you."

"I don't need that life as long as I have you in it," she said as they danced. "I don't need a rich husband or man that comes from money. What I need is a man that is going to give me his heart that's the richest prize in the world," she said.

"Alexandra," he said, "I will give you my heart and so much more but will that be enough for your father?"

"My happiness should be enough for my father," she said. "I love you, Roman."

His heart stilled at her words and his chest tightened as he tensed up. No one had ever told him that they loved him except for Adelina and to hear it from another woman he wasn't sure how to react. He had feelings for Alexandra but he was scared to love again, to love another woman with the fear she would be taken away from him just like Adelina was. Alexandra was the only woman that had come close to Adelina. She reminded him of her in so many ways, her heart was so big and caring. She looked at him as an equal not someone below her because of his past and because he was a poor gypsy boy. She looked at him with a passion and a love, the same way Adelina always looked at him. She didn't care who he was, she cared about who he is. To him that meant everything. He never thought that things were going to turn out like this, never thought his heart would soften to the princess he only had dreams of bedding. Now he wanted a lot more with her. He wanted to give her the world, take her to see the world, give her his heart and give her the life she desires but he knew that he was no more than a gypsy boy. He would never be worthy of her as much as he wanted to be. She was a princess. "Alexandra," he breathed. "I love you too." She smiled at his words and reached up to kiss his cheek sending a shock of electricity through him. They continued to waltz through the ballroom as the other dancers joined them on the dance floor.

"King Arthur," said King Charles; Prince Wade Barrett's father as he walked to him with his son. He placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder snapping him out of thought and distracting him from watching his daughter dance with her date.

"King Charles," he said with a smile. "Do you see Alexandra out there? I think she finally procured her a spouse," he said with pride. "She looks so happy and they move so perfectly together. I think that she will be wedded by the end of her season," he said with a smile.

"Yes, Arthur, who is that gentleman?" asked Prince Barrett.

"That is," he said, "I'm not sure who that is. I don't think I have ever met him. Alexandra just told me that she would be meeting her date here tonight which is why she couldn't accompany Prince Barrett to the masquerade. Whoever it is has her heart and most likely her hand in marriage. I wish for him to come to give me his addresses to ask for her hand in marriage."

Prince Barrett clenched his fists at the thought of Alexandra being wedded off to another man. He didn't like to see her dancing with the man that wasn't him. He had wanted to marry her since the beginning of her season. He and his father wanted to bring the two kingdoms together to have Alexandra and Wade rule over both kingdoms together but this new man was getting in the way. He couldn't stand for it, neither could his father. "Arthur," said King Charles, "that's why we're here. We have something to discuss with you about Alexandra."

"I'm listening," Arthur said with a smile as he watched his daughter dance with the stranger in blue, the way he looked at Alexandra and the way she looked at him. He knew he was the one for Alexandra. He hadn't seen Alexandra smile the way she was for a while. He wondered if it was the young man that had been keeping Alexandra occupied the last few weeks.

"Well, we were thinking that we could bring our kingdoms together, we were thinking that Alexandra could wed Wade and they could rule over the kingdoms together as one. It would be good for the economy and be good for the lands to bring them both together. Our kingdom is small and diminishing. We believe that if Wade and Alexandra were to wed we could bring both kingdoms together to save our kingdom."

"I don't know," said Arthur. "I promised Alexandra that she could wed out of love."

"I'm offering to pay a great coin for Alexandra to take Wade's hand in marriage with your blessing of course."

"How much coin are we discussing?" he asked. He knew that Alexandra wouldn't like the idea of being wed to Barrett. She didn't even like Barrett but there was coin at stake. It would be saving a small kingdom.

"Enough to ensure that Alexandra would be very happy with YOUR choice of her spouse," he said with a devious smile. "Wade has been wanting to give his addresses for Alexandra for some time now."

"King Arthur, I would love to take Princess Alexandra's hand in marriage to rule over the kingdoms with her the rest of our lives. Do I have your blessing to be betrothed to your beloved Alexandra?" he asked with a smile.

King Arthur watched Alexandra and her mysterious love dance in the middle of the ballroom. They hadn't let each other go and they hadn't taken their eyes off each other as they danced. He held her close, too close to him almost inappropriately but the love between the two couldn't be missed. Arthur thought about Charles' offer and thought about Barrett's addresses to take Alexandra's hand in marriage. He wasn't sure of her mystery love. He had only ever seen him behind the mask. "Arthur," said Charles snapping him from thought, "what do you say, can Barrett have Alexandra for a wife? The reward will be very good for your kingdom and mine," he said with a smile.

Arthur looked at Charles and then at Barrett. He looked at Alexandra, looked how happy she was and let out a deep breath. He knew he was going to regret his decision but he had to do what was best for Alexandra, "Yes, you have my blessing to marry Alexandra," he said.

"Wonderful!" said Barrett with a smile of victory. "Let me go get my bride to be," he said as he excused himself from his father and King Arthur to claim his prize as if she was a prize to be won. King Arthur began a conversation about the coin offered for his daughter as Barrett made his way to the dance floor.

Barrett cut through the crowds of people gathered around Alexandra and Roman. He walked with confidence and walked with a grace that said he would soon have Alexandra in his bed and as his wife. His dreams of having the Princess Alexandra as his wife were about to come true. He walked up to them and placed his hand on Alexandra's bare shoulder. Startled Alexandra said, "Barrett, what are you doing?"

"I came to dance with my betrothed," he said with a confident smile.

"Your betrothed?" she asked as she stumbled as Roman caught her as they came to a stop. "What do you mean betrothed?"

"Your father just gave me his blessings for my addresses to marry you," he said, "you and I are going to be married."

"I didn't agree to that," she said, "I'm not going to marry you."

"Excuse me," said Barrett to Roman. "You're not longer needed here. I can take over from here."

"We're dancing," said Roman.

"Not anymore. She is to be my wife. Your service is no longer requested please leave," he said as he took a reluctant Alexandra from Roman's arms and placed her in his.

"Alexandra," said Roman as Barrett swept her away. Alexandra kept her arm outreached for Roman and kept her eyes on him. Her heart was torn, it broke into two as she watched him walk away in defeat. She didn't want this, she didn't want Barrett she wanted Roman. She tried to run after him but Barrett's grasp on her tightened he wasn't going to let her go.

"Roman!" she called but the strings of the violins were too loud he couldn't hear her and tears burned her eyes as she watched him disappear into the crowd of people.

"You don't need him, Alexandra, you and I will be wed in a week, we will rule the kingdom together and produce a lot of heirs to the throne," said Barrett smugly.

Alexandra pushed away from him, "I do not wish to marry you. I will NOT marry you," she said before she ran away trying to catch up with Roman but it was too late he had already departed from the masquerade. She made her way back into the masquerade searching for her father. Her chest heaving as she ran through the people. She searched for her father until she found him on the balcony talking with King Charles. She made her way to him holding her skirts in her hand.

"Alexandra," he said.

"Father, how could you? How could you promise my hand in marriage to some man that I don't want to be married to? How could you?"

"Alexandra, I did it for the kingdom. I did it for the coin."

"So that's all I am to you? You just think that you can get coin for your daughter's hand in marriage? I am a person, Father, I am not a prize or something to be bought. I do not wish to marry Barrett and I will not Father, I will NOT marry him."

"Alexandra," said Charles, "Your father has so graciously accepted my dowry for you. You will be a great addition to our family and to our kingdom. You and Barrett will rule together and you two will produce many heirs."

"We won't," she said with tears in her eyes. "We won't get married. I will not marry him. Father, I can't believe you. I can't believe you betrayed me like this what about our deal?"

"I had to do what was best for the kingdom, Alexandra," he said.

"But not what's best for your daughter," she said, "I'm taking my leave." She gathered her skirts and made her way down the stairs to the balcony and made her way to the doors. She fetched her carriage and told them to take her home. Tears welling in her eyes and sobs escaping as she rode home in the dark. She didn't want to marry anyone unless it was Roman. She didn't want to be with anyone but Roman. Her father sold her off into marriage to a man she couldn't even stomach. He was pompous and he was arrogant. He was self-centered, he was everything Alexandra didn't want.

Alexandra walked into her palace with tears streaming down her face. She made her way to her bedchamber to see a missive taped on the door with her name written in cursive. She ripped it down from the door and opened it. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she saw that it was from Roman. _Dearest Alexandra, I'm never going to be what you need. I'm never going to be the husband your father deems worthy for his princess. I'm just a poor gypsy boy. You have the world at your feet. I can't give you the world as much as I want to. I wanted to take you to see the world, take you to see Italy and to spend the rest of my life with you but I will never be that man for you. I hope that you and Prince Barrett are happy together. I'm resigning from being your guard it is too much to watch the woman I love with someone that doesn't deserve her. I know I'm not worthy of you but I know I can make you happy. I'm leaving to go to Italy in the morning. I give you my blessing. Love always, Roman; your gypsy._

Alexandra held the missive to her chest and cried. She wasn't going to let Roman get away, she couldn't let him get away. If he was going to Italy she was going with him. He had her heart, she couldn't deny it. She needed to be with him. She made her way down the palace steps, grabbed her cloak and made her way out to the stables. She grabbed her horse and climbed on its back and took off through the woods to Roman's home that he stayed in the nights he wasn't working at the palace. Alexandra reached Roman's small home in the woods, tied her horse to a tree and made her way to the front of his home. She reached up with one hand and secured her cloak with another as she knocked on the door softly. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat when Roman answered the door. He never looked more beautiful. His hair was free from its usual bun and he was dressed in his shirt sleeves and his dark breeches hugging to his thighs. "Alexandra," he said and she smelled the liquor on his breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," she said as he pulled her into his home shutting the door behind her. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply, she melted in his arms as she kissed him back, her fingers combing through his hair as she kissed him back, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. He groaned into her mouth as he kissed her deeper, his hands rubbing her back as they shared a deep passionate kiss in the living room. Roman kissed her with a hunger and a need. She felt his growing arousal between through his breeches even with her skirts in the way.

He pulled away leaving them both breathless. "You shouldn't have come here, Alexandra. You don't belong here," he said running his hands through his hair, "but damn it I don't want you to stay away," he said with exasperation. "You need to leave..now," he said.

"I don't wish to leave," she said removing her cloak exposing her masquerade dress.

"I'm not good company right now, Alexandra," he said in a drunken tone. "This is the man I am. I'm rough, I'm coarse, I'm unrefined. I'm not the man for you," he said. "Leave, Alexandra it will be better for both of us if you leave."

"I don't care if you're rough, coarse or unrefined. I love you, Roman," she said stealing his breath from his chest. "I love you. If I can't have you I don't want anyone." She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his heart. It was beating fast, pounding beneath her palm. "I want this. I want you. I need you, Roman," she breathed.

"Alexandra," he said pulling her close to him, wrapping his arm around her waist, as his fingertips slid across her collarbone. "If you don't leave tonight I'm going to ruin you. I'm going to destroy you."

"Roman," she said, "I'm not leaving."

"If you don't leave my house tonight you will not leave here tomorrow a virgin. I will ruin you. I'm warning you. I'm not the man for you. I'm nothing but trouble. I'm a gypsy. I'm not the man you desire."

"But you are everything I desire," she said.

"Alexandra," he said.

"Roman," she breathed him in as his face was nuzzled in her nape. "I'm going to stay," she breathed, her heart racing.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Alexandra choosing Roman for her date for the masquerade? What about her father accepting a dowry for Barrett to have her hand in marriage? Was it wrong for the King to make the decision for Alexandra? What do you think of her reaction? Are you surprised that she ended up at Roman's house? What did you think of the note he left for her; do you think that was his way of calling her to him? What did you think of him trying to get her to leave? Are you surprised she decided to stay? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

 ***WARNING: contains sexual content**

Roman's breath was hot on Alexandra's neck as he let out a soft growl of appreciation at her words. He pulled himself away and cupped her nape as he looked into her deep blue eyes that reminded him so much of the summer sky and the bluest ocean water he had ever seen in the West Indies. His blue-grey eyes full of lust and drunkenness as he looked at her. "Alexandra," he breathed as she felt her heart rate pick up at the intimate way he spoke her name and how sweet it rolled off his tongue. "I'm warning you, if you don't leave now I'm going to destroy you. I'm going to damage you and you're never going to be good to marry. If you don't leave I'm going to take your virginity."

"Roman," she said with her breathing hitching in her throat. "I'm not leaving."

"I'll ask you one more time, you should be running, Alexandra. I should scare you. I'm nothing but trouble. You should run away from me," he said as he stroked her cheek softly and the smell of liquor on his breath. "Run, Alexandra, save yourself from me."

"I'm not running," she said softly. "I'm here because I want to be here, to be with you. I'm not running, Roman. You're everything I want and need. You're everything I desire," she said as her breaths became heavy, her breasts full and heavy from Roman's intimacy.

"I warned you," he said gruffly before he kissed her hard, his mouth sealed over hers as her lips parted, he thrusted his tongue deep into her mouth, dominating her tongue with hard licks of passion and need with one hand cupping her nape and the other cupping her full aching breast. He kneaded it as he deepened the kiss, she moaned into his mouth and melted to his touch as a dampness grew between her thighs. She could feel Roman's arousal through his breeches and through her skirts. He pulled away leaving her catching her breath, "last time Alexandra, are you staying or are you leaving? This is the last time I'm asking you," He said as he massaged her breast softly.

Breathing heavily once she found her breath again, "I'm staying," she said.

"Very well," he said as he let her go, taking her hand into his. He led her upstairs to his bedchamber. He was anxious about having sex with her for the first time. He had been with many women before but Alexandra was different. He loved her. He wanted to make her first time the most memorable experience of her life but at the same time he didn't want her to forget what it felt like when he made love to her. He wanted her to ache for him, need for him and want for him. He didn't want her to seek the need in anyone else but him. He wanted to mark her, make her his. He stopped outside his bedchamber. "Alexandra, after tonight there is no going back, once this is done it's done. Do you understand?"

"I understand," she said stroking his hand with her thumb. "I want you to take me," she breathed. She licked her lips as she caught the sight of his arousal through his breeches. He was hard and full carnal sexually aroused male. She had the effect on him and she loved it.

"I'm going to change your life tonight," he said before taking her mouth again and kissing her hard and deep before pulling her into his bed chamber. He kicked the door shut behind them without removing his full lips from hers. He took her free hand and placed it over his throbbing and aching erection. "This is what you do to me, Princess," he breathed against her lips. "Ever since I met you, this is what you have done to me. I ache for you and I need you. Tell me you need me, Alexandra," he breathes as she strokes the length of his thick erection. "Tell me, Alexandra that you want me as much as I want you."

"I want you as much as you want me and need you just as much," she breathed before he took her mouth once again, kissing her with more passion and more need, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, swirling with hers, dominating her tongue with his hard and deep licks.

He pulled away. "Turn around," he said. She wasted no time doing what he asked of her. Her heart started to race, her breasts swelling and becoming heavy as his fingers unbuttoned the back of her gown. "I love you in blue, Alexandra," he whispered into her ear. "It's a beautiful color on you." He worked the buttons loose and pulled the gown away, taking it down over her shoulders and allowed it to fall to her feet as she stood there in her corset, her freckled shoulders exposed. He turned her around and took her hand as she stepped out of her gown. He undid her hair allowing her curls to fall to the small of her back. She was a beautiful sight one he would never forget. Nothing was more perfect than seeing her standing there in her corset with her garters and stockings with her beautiful strawberry blonde hair flowing freely with her deep blue eyes full of need and want; a need and a want for him. He picked her up from the floor as she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into his bedroom. He kicked the door shut and locked it before carrying her over to the bed. He softly laid her down on the bed despite the animalistic need to fuck her right now, hard and rough claiming her and marking her as his but he resisted the animalistic urge inside him. He wasn't going to be rough with her the first time. He towered over her kissing her lips softly, passionately. His deep licks softer than before as he kissed her deep. Alexandra took her fingers through is hair as he kissed her making him moan into her mouth as he felt the softness of her touch, her claiming of him. He wasn't only claiming her; she was claiming him, making him hers.

Breaking the kiss Roman pinned her down with his hips as he removed his shirt sleeves and his undershirt exposing the most gorgeous, perfectly sculpted body Alexandra had ever seen. His abs set like perfect washboard and his shoulders broad and muscular. He was perfect. He pulled her up and removed her corset that had gotten too tight for her to breathe with the swelling of her breasts. He exposed her bare chest and let out a deep breath as he admired the beauty beneath him. He removed himself from the bed undoing her garters and removing each stocking slowly till she was gloriously naked on his bed. He had been with many women but none of them as perfect as Alexandra, her skin looked velvet soft and pale, her breasts were plump and delicious. He licked his lips as he admired her body. "Beautiful," he said before his lips were on her neck, kissing her softly as his hands massaged her full aching breasts. Soft kisses trailed along her collarbone making her squirm and her breathing hitch in her chest as he worked at her breasts, massaging them, pinching the nipples between his calloused fingers, she cried out in pleasure as his mouth engulfed one of her breasts. His tongue flicked over her erect nipple, she grabbed onto the pillow as he sucked at her breast and kneading the other. He hadn't expected her to be so perfect. She was pure and modest until she stepped foot into his bedroom. She would not leave with the same purity and the same modesty.

"Roman," she moaned as he took her other breast into her mouth, flicking her nipple with his tongue and sucking her into ecstasy. Roman was the chaos in her calm world, that came in and turned everything upside down but stole her heart in the process. She had always dreamed of giving herself to her husband on their wedding night pure and innocent but everything was changing now. She groaned as his mouth left a trail of kisses down her sternum and around her navel. His tongue slid across her stomach making her squirm before he dipped it into her navel. "Please," she said.

"I'm just getting started," he said softly as he continued his trail of kisses down her body. "I'm going to kiss every inch of your beautiful body," he said as he parted her legs, kissing between her thighs and down her leg as his hand slid down to her throbbing, damp sex. He kissed her up her legs again and kissed between her thighs as he spread them further. He took his hand over her sex, cupping it in his hand. "You're so wet and ready," he said with appreciation. He took his thumb over her clit stroke it softly as she withered and squirmed from his intimate touches through her red curls, he leaned down and kissed her sex softly as she let out a moan of pleasure. He began to suck her sex as he stroke her clit. She closed her eyes and thrashed her head back from the pleasure of his sucking. His tongue slid inside her sex, licking the folds of her sex, tasting her arousal as he licked around the velvet softness of her sex. She cried out in pleasure and moaned out in ecstasy as his tongue moved faster and his thumb picked up its pace on her clit. His tongue working like magic as it made love to her, licking every soft spot of her sex. The passion tearing through her, breaking her down, her stomach clenching as his licks got deeper the more aroused she became. He sucked her arousal bringing her to the point of orgasm, her body quivering, her legs shaking as she cried out as the tide of pleasure tore through her and she came with a passionate cry as he sucked her hot juices. As she ended her powerful climax Roman pulled away wiping his mouth with a smile. "I'm going to make you remember me, Alexandra, you're not going to want anyone else but me or need anyone else but me," he said as he circled her clit with his thumb.

"Please," she said softly.

"Please what, Princess," he said teasing her with his circles. "What do you want?"

"I want you," she begged.

"Not yet, you're not ready for me yet," he said softly as he slid one finger inside her tender sex. She moaned out as he started to make love to her with his finger. He slid another finger inside her. "You're so tight and wet. I did this to you," he said reminding her as he made love to her with his two fingers while circling her clit with his thumb. A third finger slid inside of her sex and she cried out as his pace of his fingers picked up. His fingers sliding into her sex deeper the wetter she became. She was crying out in pleasure, begging him to take her, begging him to make love to her but his assault with his fingers continued. She was so tight but so wet that his fingers slid deeper inside of her. "You like that, Princess?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed as she felt the passion building inside of her with each stroke of his fingers, her breathing becoming heavy as he slid deeper, her sex tightening around his fingers. He knew she was going to go, her legs quivered as she came again with a cry of pleasure covering his fingers in her arousal. He pulled his fingers out of her as she finished her climax. Her arousal mixed with her virginal blood. The sight made his cock throb, it made it ache as it grew thicker in his breeches. He needed her. He needed to take her. He couldn't wait any longer. He got up from the bed and undid his breeches. He pulled them down quickly exposing his thick erection. Pre-cum covering the tip of his thick crown. He crawled back into bed, positioning himself between her legs.

"If you want me to stop at any time because it hurts tell me and I will desist," he said. "Okay."

"Okay," she breathed, her chest tightening with anticipation and anxiousness. She was ready, readier than she ever thought she would be. She was ready to fully give herself to him.

He stroked his cock over her clit teasing her as it rested outside her sex. "There's no going back, Alexandra," he reminded her.

"No going back," she breathed in agreement.

Roman slid the crown of his cock into her sex. "Oh God," he said, "you're so tight." She groaned in pleasure as his thick crown filled her sex. Roman gave her time to adjust before he slid another inch inside of her. She moaned as she felt his thick cock beginning to fill her. He slid deeper inside of her, tearing her as he slid deeper inside before he had filled her tight sex with is thick and full cock. She cried out as it tore her and burned her sex. He slowly pulled out and slid back into the velvet soft tightness of her sex. His thrust soft and slow as he made love to her, his body covering hers, he nuzzled into her neck as his cock tore through her softly. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear. "Am I hurting you?" he asked.

"I'm okay," she said, "keep going," she said as he picked up his pace, making love to her softly careful not to hurt her. Her pain fading away as she adjusted to the size of his cock. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he thrusted softly into her, making love to her. Moans of pleasure escaping his lips as she groaned in pleasure from his soft and passionate movements. She bucked her hips, moving with him, meeting him thrust for thrust. The passion building deep inside of her with each thrust, her sex clenching around his erection, sucking him into her softness, Alexandra's toes curling into the mattress of his bed, her nails digging deep into his back, scratching and clawing him as her sex became greedier sucking him deeper as she cried out with a powerful climax, her hot juices cover his thick erection. He continued to move through her climax, his cock throbbing, aching for him to spend his seed. His teeth sinking into her shoulder as he came hard and fast inside her, filling her with his seed; marking what was his with animalistic need. He captured her mouth with his, sealing it with a passionate kiss as he continued to spend his seed.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he broke the kiss.

"Yes," she said softly as he withdrew himself from her softly as she winced in pain.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You're fine," she said with a smile. "You're fine."

"Okay," he said before he kissed her lips softly. Alexandra watched as he removed himself from the bed and made his way into the washroom. He returned with a wash cloth in his hand and a towel. "Open your legs," he said softly. "Do you hurt?" he asked.

"A little," she said as he took the washcloth to her sex, cleaning up her virginal blood, her arousal and his semen that escaped her sex and rested on her thighs. She let out a deep breath as he took the wash cloth over her sex so intimately. He patted her dry with the towel careful not to rub her tender and sore sex. He wanted to give her a rest till they were ready to go again. He laid down on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms, draping his leg over hers. He combed his fingers through her hair as he looked at her beautiful face. Her fingertips stroking over his bicep as he held her close to his body, he kissed her forehead.

"Come with me," he said breaking the silence.

"Go with you where?" she asked.

"To see the world, come with me to Italy," he said.

"Truly?"

"Truly," he said, "I want you to come with me. I want to wed you," he said.

"Roman," she said, "what about my father and what about England?"

"Do you want to rule over England?" he asked.

"Not right now. I would much rather see the world."

"Then come with me. I'm departing in the morning for Italy. You and I can have a life together in Italy. You and me could wed and start our lives in Italy."

"Roman," she said as flutters filled her stomach.

"Or are you going to marry Barrett? I know you're betrothed."

"Roman," she said, "I'm not going to marry Barrett. My father accepted a dowry for him to marry me. I have no desire to marry him. He's pompous and arrogant."

"So run away with me, come with me to Italy. I may not be a prince or come from money but I can make you happy," he said. "I want to be the one to make you happy."

"You already do," she said with a soft smile. "Being with you, I have never been happier in my life. I love you, Roman."

"I love you too," he said. "So marry me, come to Italy with me, start a life with me there."

"Roman," she said, "I don't know. I still love my father."

"I know you do but we wouldn't have to stay in Italy. We can just wed in Italy, spend a month down there enjoy a honeymoon together and then come back to England. It will give you time to think if you want to take the throne or not."

"I'm thinking about it," she said softly as she nuzzled into his damp chest. "I should have suggested you use some type of protection," she said. "But I got lost in the passion."

"That was my job," he said.

"Did you forget to use it or what happened?"

"I don't forget that type of thing, Alexandra, I always use protection until tonight," he said.

"So you spent your seed in me on purpose?" she asked pulling away. "What about my reputation in England? Does it not worry you that you could have made me with child?"

"I'm not worried," he said. "If you become with child we can simply cover it up with our marriage and say it happened on our time in Italy," he said. "I care about your reputation plenty but I needed to spend my seed inside of you. I needed to make sure you were mine."

"So you chose to mark me like some type of scoundrel?"

"Alexandra, please don't get upset. Ever since the day I met you I have wanted you and now that I have you I'm not willing to give you up. I did what I needed to do. I needed to ensure that you would be mine. If you start increasing we will work together. I want to marry you, spend the rest of my life with you. There is no one else but you, Alexandra, I don't want anyone else. I know that and I don't want anyone else to have you. I know Barrett was granted permission to marry you tonight," he said, "I needed to ensure you were mine."

"How? By taking away my choice to choose you? You didn't have enough confidence in me to know that I would choose you, that I would marry you over anyone? You have to spend your seed inside of me and damage my reputation as a princess because you couldn't trust my decision? Where did I end up tonight, Roman?" she asked. "If I wanted to be with Barrett I would have been with him. If I wanted to be with anyone else I would be with them right now but I'm not. I came here. I came to you, to be with you. I made the choice to stay when I could have left. You didn't need to mark me that way," she said with hurt feelings. Roman knew he hurt her and he wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer to him. "I love you, Roman, there is NO one else but you. I love you no one else," she said.

"I love you too," he said kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm a selfish bastard but damn it Alexandra I love you. I need you, I want you in my life not just tonight, not tomorrow, not for a sennight but my whole life. I need you and I want you in my life. I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. Please accept my apology," he begged.

"Roman," she said, "I forgive you. I love you and I want you to be with me for the rest of my life. I don't care where you come from or what you have. The only thing I need from you is your heart and need you to take care of mine. I love you. We don't need anything else."

"You already have it," he said softly. "You have my heart and you have all of me. Everything is yours," he said.

"You stole my heart already," she said, "don't damage it."

"It's safe with me, so what do you say, do I get you the rest of your life and do you accept me for the rest of your life? I promise I will make you happy," he said.

"Yes," she said.

"So you'll go to Italy with me and wed me in Italy?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "This is an unusual proposal but yes I will be your wife." She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes with a smile as he took her mouth with his, kissing her softly and deep before he rolled her over onto her back covering her body with his, positioning himself between her legs before sliding into her softly as they made love again and once more after that before falling asleep in each other's arms.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Roman continuing to ask Alexandra if she wanted to stay? What do you think made her choose to stay? What did you think of him taking her virginity from her? Do you think it was a mistake on her part or was it time? What do you think of them running off to Italy together to get married? Do you think Alexandra will do it or chicken out? What did you think of Roman marking her the way he did? Was it necessary? Did Alexandra have every right to be upset? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much :)***

"Good morning, Princess," said Roman as he woke Alexandra up with a soft kiss on her nape as his fingertips traced her forearm trailing down to her hip. She was his officially and there was nothing anyone could do to prevent it any longer. They left England early the morning after Roman had taken Alexandra to bed, it took them a sennight to arrive in Italy and as soon as they arrived in Italy a couple days prior they were married. They had celebrated and consummated the marriage many times since then. Roman's sexual appetite was insatiable when it came to Alexandra. He took her every morning, many times throughout the day and many times at night often waking her up in the middle of the night to take her again and again. Roman could not remember a time he needed to bed a woman so often and so frequently when he thought he should be done, had nothing left he was ready to go again; Alexandra had no complaints.

"Good morning," she said turning to face him, her blue eyes filled with sleep, her red lips swollen and kissable, her hair tangled with a just fucked look. He loved seeing her like this.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"As well as one can sleep when their husband isn't trying to engage in sexual congress multiple times throughout the night," she said with a smile as she traced his firm chest with her fingertips. "You have a scar," she said tracing the scar on his bicep. "What happened?"

"You already know I had a rough life."

"Your father did that to you?" she asked.

"My father was a miserable man after my mother passed away, he was just as miserable when she was alive it was just worse after she passed away. I had been kicked, cut and beaten by him. I think this came because I messed up on a chore. I got 30 lashes because of it, he whipped me till I bled most times."

"That's terrible," she said before she kissed the scar. "I'm sorry you had to go through something so terrible."

"It was life," he said, "I'm much happier now," he said with a smile before he kissed her lips softly. "I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too, Roman," she said with a smile as she admired her wedding band on her finger as she rubbed his chest softly. The ring was anything but simple. It was made of diamonds and rubies. It was beautiful beyond words. The ring on his finger was similar, diamonds and ruby crusted. Alexandra didn't second guess her decision to marry Roman. She knew better, she knew if she stayed in England she would have been married off to a man she didn't love; Prince Wade Barrett. She wanted to be with a man she loved. A man she would love to spend the rest of her life with and a man that she would love to create children with, someone that could make her smile, make her laugh and the only thing he ever needed to give her was his heart. She found that in Roman.

"How are you enjoying Italy so far?"

"I haven't had much time to enjoy Italy, I've been far too busy enjoying my husband," she said with a smile. "But from what I have seen Italy is beautiful. I can see why you loved it so much or why you love it so much."

"I want to take you out to see Italy today, enjoy the sights and sounds of the country. I want to take you to the sea and walk along the coast with you. How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful," she said with a smile. "I would like that very much."

"Me too," he said, "and what do you think of the house? Is it fit to live in shall you choose not to go back to England? I know it isn't a palace or anything but it's a home," he said.

"It's perfect, Roman," she said with a smile. "Palace life is so secluded. I would much rather live in a home like this than in a lonely palace hidden behind the gates. I love the house."

"I'm glad," he said with a smile. "Have you contacted your father?"

"I had a missive delivered to him to tell him I am alive and well that I am spending some time in Italy. I don't think he will be happy but I need to do this for me, for us. One day we'll tell my father of our marriage. The princess of England can't stay hidden forever."

"Do you think you'll go back to rule over England?"

"I have no idea. Right now I'm enjoying the married life with you and enjoying parts of the world I have never seen. I'll think about it."

"Did you tell your father you were with me?"

"I mentioned you, yes," she said hugging him close to her as he encircled her with his large arms. He kissed the top of her strawberry blonde hair. Just the feel of her skin on his and her body so close made him hard. His cock stirred between them, hardening to an erection. "You can't not be ready to take me again," she whispered into his ear.

"This is what you do to me, Love," he said before nuzzling into her nape. "Let me make love to you before we start our day."

"I can't say no to you," she breathed as she parted her thighs as he rolled her over onto her back, covering her body with his. He looked down at her with his grey orbs and she smiled up at his beauty. "Well, if you're trying to get me to start increasing this is one way to ensure it. You sure are putting a lot of effort into it," she said with a smile.

"The thought of you increasing with my child or children pleases me. It brings me such joy. The thought of us creating a life together or many it would mean so much to me," he said with a smile.

"What if I'm barren? Would you still love me the same?"

"I would still love you the same," he said with a smile. "Nothing would stop me from loving you. We took our vows with one another. I will love you forever and take great pleasure in being your husband for the rest of my days."

"I love you," she said with a smile wrapping her arms around his neck. "I take pleasure in being your wife," she said pulling him down to her, he captured her lips with his and kissed her softly as he softly entered her as they started their morning off making love to one another.

"It's so beautiful," said Alexandra as her and Roman strolled through a park in Italy. Alexandra was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress that fell to her ankles, her corset pulled tight enough that her plump breasts were positioned enough to show just enough cleavage but not too much. Her hair was in a low bun as she wore a large hat over her head. Roman rested his hand on the small of her back as she carried a yellow parasail. He was dressed so casually and comfortably. He had on a pair of grey breeches and a white shirt over his shirt sleeves. His raven black hair was pulled up into low bun.

"It is beautiful isn't?" he asked with a smile as they strolled. "I always enjoyed the hills of Italy."

"They are very beautiful. It is a breathtaking view. It's like something painted in a portrait."

"The real breathtaking view is when you go to the top of the hills and look over Italy. That's a real breathtaking view," he said.

"I can't even imagine how beautiful it must be. Have you climbed the hills of Italy?"

"Many times," he said.

"I would love to climb the hills of Italy someday."

"Would you like to?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I would love to."

"Come on," he said, "I have a surprise for you."

Alexandra not knowing what Roman had planned she followed along with him as he led her to her surprise. She smiled when they came to three donkeys; two of them didn't have anyone on them but one of them had a man sitting on it. "Roman," she said.

"You said you wanted to climb the hills of Italy so we're going to climb the hills of Italy," he said, "we're going to ride the donkeys to the top of the hills."

"It sounds wonderful," she said with a smile.

Roman helped Alexandra put her parasail down and helped her climb onto one of the donkeys before he climbed onto his own. Their guide spoke to them in Italian and Roman spoke back to him. The guide began their hike up the hills of Italy. It was a relaxing bumpy ride as the donkeys climbed the hills clunking through dirt and stone. The guide spoke in Italian the whole trip up the hills telling Roman about the sights and landmarks. Roman would relay the message to Alexandra and explain it to her. She knew she would have learn Italian if she was going to take residence there.

Alexandra and Roman reached the top of the hill they were climbing and a smile came across Alexandra's face. There was a blanket laid out on the hill, a basket sitting in the middle of the blanket and a bottle of wine with two wine glasses. "Surprise," he said with a smile as he got off his donkey before helping her off her donkey. "What do you think?"

"I love it," she said with a smile as they made their way over to the blanket. Alexandra and Roman took a seat on the blanket. He opened the basket and started to pull things out. He pulled out a loaf of Italian bread, some meat and some cheese. He pulled out an apple and then another apple. "A picnic lunch on the hills of Italy," she said with a smile. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said breaking the bread in half to make them their sandwiches. He handed her a sandwich and she thanked him. He poured them each a glass of wine before they ate lunch together. They sat and talked enjoying the Italian sun shining down on them. "Do you think your father will like me?"

"I think my father is fickle and he may not be happy at first but I do think that once he gets used to the idea then he will be all right with the idea," she said taking a sip of her wine.

"He's going to be furious," he said.

"That's one word for it," she said, "but I know my father he will come around. He's going to be furious because he hired to you to protect me not to marry me."

"I couldn't live my life without you. I couldn't let you live your life married to someone else when your heart was with me."

"You knew?" she asked.

"I knew I affected you," he said, "Every time I looked at you your face would turn a shade of pink; sort of like it is right now," he said with a smile. "And your breathing it always changed. The way your breasts swelled every time you looked at me. I knew."

"Oh," she said rubbing her throat before drinking the rest of the contents in her wine glass. "That is all true. You have an effect on me that no other man ever had. You make me happier than anyone else can. You understand me better than I understand myself."

"I just fear I'm not good enough for you," he said, "what if your father forbids you from seeing me?"

"You're my husband now," she said, "my father doesn't get to choose and you are more than enough for me. You're everything I need and everything I want. If you weren't I wouldn't have been so sure of our future together. We're going to have a great life together, Roman. We're going to be happy whether I rule over England or not we're going to be happy because we have each other. And we're going to have a lot of children, however many you desire but we are going to be happy."

"I hope so," he said. "What's the conflict with your Aunt Victoria?" he asked. "Your father had asked me to protect you from her. Would she hurt you?"

"My Aunt Victoria has had a grudge against me since the day I was born. She expresses her grievances often. When my grandmother Isabelle died my father took over the throne being the heir of the throne because he was the first born. My grandmother had no other children but my father and my aunt therefore if something were to happen to my father my aunt Victoria was next in line to take the throne. She became a duchess. That's not good enough for her she wishes to be Queen. Not long after my father became the King of England he needed to take a wife. He found my mother and fell in love with her. She didn't come from royalty but she came from wealth but he loved her. My parents loved each other a lot. Their love was special and my aunt was jealous of the love that they shared. They were wed and shortly after they were wed my mother began increasing with me. A child of my father's would push Victoria down the line and any child after that. The day I was born I became the heiress to the throne had something happened to my father. My aunt was very upset. She hated me the day I was born because I stole the throne from her. Growing up I don't remember her ever truly being there but then again after my mother's death the only people I knew were my servants and butler. I thought they were my friends. My father kept me secluded, kept me from the world. I still do not understand why but I believe he wanted to protect me from something. I never could tell. As I got older my mother's illness was described to me and the more I heard her symptoms the more I thought her symptoms were a result of her being poisoned over time."

"You think your mother was poisoned?"

"I believe that she was."

"Why would you believe that or think of such a thing?" he asked.

"I read a lot of books, Roman. I did a good majority of my learning through reading stories and reading. I read a book about poisons when I was 15 and my mother's illness didn't seem so much like an illness anymore as it did an attack to end her life."

"But wouldn't it have killed her instantly if she was poisoned not the length of time that she was sick?"

"There are poisons that aren't as fast working as some. There are poisons that take time and it depends on dosage. There are a lot of factors that go into poisoning someone. I believe my mother was poisoned my father tells me it wasn't that."

"Do you question your father's health?"

"I wish not to think that someone is trying to kill off my father but someone obviously killed off my mother."

"But why your mother?"

"With my mother out of the picture they knew my father would never marry again. They knew he would stay true to his vows and die a widow. If my mother was deceased then there would be no other heirs after me therefore if my father is out of the picture I take the throne but if I am out of the picture my aunt Victoria would take the throne. I believe someone calculated my mother's death and made it look like she was sick but it's too late to prove my theory but I know. My aunt Victoria is ruthless. She wants the throne. My father believes she would stop at nothing to take the throne from me at whatever means necessary."

"I will never allow anyone to hurt you. Your safety is my number one concern as is the safety of our future children. Anyone brave enough to try to hurt you will have to go through me first."

"If anyone is brave enough to come after me is also a fool and not very bright in the mind knowing they will have to get through you to get to me," she said.

"Do you think your father is sick from illness or do you think that someone is poisoning him?"

"I believe that my father is truly ill. He has one of the best doctors in England taking care of him. He is truly sick. His health is slowly deteriorating the doctor believes he doesn't have much time left."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He has a disease in his lungs," she said. "His lungs are filling up with fluid. When they get too full he will be gone."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Me too," she said as he pours her another glass of wine. "I thought he was different. I thought I could trust him then he sold me off to Prince Barrett to marry him. I couldn't believe it."

"I can't believe it either like you're some prize to be won and some possession to be bought," he said. "You're more than that. You deserve someone that loves you, that will care for you and make you happy. I'm rough, I'm unrefined, I drink too much, I cuss too much, I'm poor and never worthy of a princess," he said. "I don't deserve you but I love you nonetheless. I see you have thoughts, feelings and dreams. You're more than a possession."

"You may be rough, you may be unrefined, drink too much and cuss too much but you have a heart. You have thoughts, feelings and dreams too. You can be just as gentle, you can be just as refined and you can be selfless. I love you because you have a beautiful heart and a beautiful mind. I love you because of who you are not because of what you have or don't have. The greatest thing you could ever give me is your love, Roman. You're more than worthy of me and you deserve every piece of me. I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a soft smile as he leaned over and kissed her lips softly.

Alexandra took his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers and said, "no matter what my father thinks or says YOU are the only man I want in my life and the only man I will have in my life. I don't know what the future holds for us but what I do know is we will be together we will get through anything together."

King Arthur was pacing his study. He had been beside himself the last week. He had pushed his daughter away. He had not seen her since the masquerade even her abigail was missing. He knew she was out there but didn't know if she was safe. He had ordered a search for her in England but every day the same results came in that no one had seen or heard from the princess. He checked her businesses and her properties. Neither those working in her business or her residents had heard from her in a sennight. King Arthur didn't know where else to look for her. He didn't believe she would leave Englan. "Where is my wife to be?" asked Prince Barrett as he sat in a chair in the study.

"I have called a search for her. She has not been seen since the masquerade," he said. "She was angry with me because I sold her into a marriage with you. I never saw her upset. She could be hurt."

"I doubt that she's hurt as much as she's acting like a spoiled brat. I promise when my betrothed is found she will never leave my sight again. As soon as she comes back into town or comes out of hiding I want to speed up the wedding. I would like to marry her right away."

"Barrett," he said, "my main concern at this moment is to get my daughter home safely. She doesn't know that world out there. This is my fault," he said. "I allowed her to dream of a life outside this palace and to read about faraway lands."

"You're absolutely correct that this is your fault," said his sister Victoria as she walked into the study with Carlisle behind her.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said, "I tried to stop her but.."

King Arthur raised his hand to stop him from speaking. "Victoria, where is Alexandra?"

"I have no idea, Arthur," she said. "Why are you asking me?"

"I know how much you dislike her being the heiress to the throne, did you do something to her?"

"How dare you," she said, "This is your fault because you were so lack with her. You let her do as she wished. Now do you see the mess you find yourself in Arthur and you believe Alexandra is ready to take the throne. She is 10 and 8, she's young. She's not ready to take the throne. She's naïve she needs to learn to be a proper princess before she can learn to be a proper Queen. I think you should allow me to take the throne; Alexandra is not ready, Arthur."

"ENOUGH!" he yelled. "Do you either of you care about Alexandra's safety or are you two so concerned with your personal gain of what she can give you? Alexandra is my daughter. She is the one thing I have left to live for. I have not seen or heard from her in a sennight. I worry of her safety while you worry about taking her spot as the heiress of England," he said to Victoria, "and you are worried about wedding her when she returns. Alexandra's safety is my number one concern. Think about her well-being above all things if there is no Alexandra neither of you get what you desire, none of us do," he said as there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he snapped as he turned to see Carlisle standing in the doorway again.

"Your Highness, this came for you," he said handing him a missive.

"It's from Alexandra," said King Arthur breathing a sigh of relief. Barrett stood up and Victoria stopped in her tracks. "It says she's alive and well. She's in Italy and plans to stay in Italy."

"Italy?" asks Barrett. "What's in Italy?"

"Roman Reigns," he said crumbling up the missive as he remembered her guard was from Italy and he too had been gone for a sennight. It was not coincidence that they were both gone the same length of time. He had also received a missive from Roman a sennight ago telling him that he was no longer able to provide services in guarding Alexandra and he was leaving England.

"The guard?" asks Barrett with confusion. "What does he have to do with Alexandra running to Italy?"

King Arthur grabbed his chest and fell to the ground with a grunt and a thud before he could answer Barrett's question.

 **A/N: What do you think of Roman and Alexandra being married now? Are you surprised Alexandra went through with it? Do you think she will decide to stay in Italy with Roman and start a life with him there or will she go back to England? What do you think of Roman taking her out to see England and the date he had planned for her? Will Roman ever believe he's worthy of Alexandra? What do you think of Alexandra's theory when it comes to her mother's death? Do you think her mother was poisoned? What do you think of King Arthur's concern of Alexandra? What did you think of Victoria's and Barrett's lack of concern for her? What do you think of King Arthur's reaction to Alexandra being in Italy with Roman? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Roman entered into his and Alexandra's bedchamber in the early afternoon. Alexandra laid in the bed sound asleep as he made his way over to the bed. He smiled as he watched her sleep. She looked so beautiful when she slept. She was like an angel. She slept with her head resting on her arms, her pouty red lips pushed out, her little nose twitching as she breathed. Her strawberry blonde hair was covering the shell of her ear. She was dressed in a white nightgown made for Roman's eyes only. It showed off her beautiful pale and freckled skin. Roman smiled at his wife as she slept peacefully. She had been feeling sick over the last couple days; her body was changing. Roman knew it every time they made love. He started to notice the changes a couple days prior. Her breasts were heavier, bigger. They were barely fitting into her corset and her chemise. Alexandra was feeling ill most of the day and it kept her in bed till around 1 in the afternoon. Roman allowed her to rest. She would need all the rest she could get. "Afternoon, Beautiful," said Roman as Alexandra stirred awake as she felt her husband's presence in the bedchamber.

"Afternoon," she said with sleep in her voice. She sat up and her strawberry blonde hair fell over her shoulders and down to her waist. She was even more beautiful as she sat there with sleep in her eyes, her full lips red her eyes blinked a few times as they adjusted to the light shining into the window.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little better," she said. "I'm still feeling a bit sick in my stomach and tired."

"I brought you some crackers," he said as he placed a tray of crackers in front of her, "and I brought you some ginger tea."

"Thank-you," she said as her stomach rolled. The wave of nausea came over her and she pushed the tray away before she ran to the washroom connected to their bedchamber emptying out her stomach acid into the toilet. Roman sat with her and rubbed her back as she sat sick on the washroom floor.

Roman helped Alexandra clean herself up after she was finished in the washroom before he helped her back to the bed guiding her by the small of her back and holding her hand with the other hand. "I'm calling the doctor today," he said.

"I will be all right," she said climbing back into bed. "We don't need a doctor not yet."

"Alexandra, you're not getting any better than you were. It's getting worse if you ask me."

"Okay," she said, "you win. I don't have the energy to fight with you on this. Call for the doctor to come see me."

"Thank-you, Madame," he said with a smile. "Try some of the ginger tea it should help settle your stomach."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile as she took a sip of her tea as he took a seat next to her in the bed. "What is on your agenda for the day?"

"Spending the day tending to my wife," he said as he relaxed on the bed resting his head on his arms as he leaned back on the bed and against the bed post.

"That's very sweet of you," she said, "but I thought you wanted your wife to tend to you. Aren't you the man that told me that you want your wife to be barefoot in the kitchen and tending to your every need?"

"I'm not a savage," he said with a smile as he picked up a cracker to eat. "You're a different type of woman, Alexandra. You have more power than me. You're the future Queen of England should you choose to be the Queen."

"I'm not sure what I want to do yet, Roman," she said. "Being the Queen means a lot less freedom. I grew up being sheltered and restricted. It means attending balls and social events. I enjoy my freedom all this freedom I have gotten in Italy thus far has been great. I haven't had to answer to any guards or wake up at a certain time in the morning. I haven't been required to attend balls or masquerades. I want to be free. I want our children to be free but my father is depending on me to take the throne when he's ready to give it up or passes on."

"You'll be the Queen you could make all the rules but I understand that you want your freedom. Independence is something you desire. I knew that the moment that I met you. Not many women run businesses or rent out properties. I commend you for that and knowing that you strive and desire independence to be happy," he said, "I could never ask you to be barefoot in the kitchen and tending to my every need. I want you to be happy whether it's living here in Italy with me. I'll get a job, I'll keep you happy or if you want to rule England whatever you do I just want you to be happy. Your happiness is my number 1 goal."

"You should be happy too," she said before taking another sip of her tea. "I want you to be just as happy with me as I am with you."

"As long as I can call you my wife I'll always be happy. Knowing that I will wake up to you every morning, fall asleep with you every night, knowing that you're going to be the mother of my children makes me happy. Spending the rest of my days with you make me happy."

"I love you," she said with a soft smile before she leaned over and kissed his lips softly. "I don't know what I want to do yet. This is a difficult decision for me. I love Italy, I really do but I want to make my father proud. I also don't know if my father is going to accept you as my husband. If I had to choose between ruling England and you; I would choose you, I will always choose you I don't need all that to be happy all I need is you," she said making him smile. She pushed the tray away and placed her tea on the nightside table next to their bed. She leaned over, cupped his face in her hands and captured his lips with hers. Roman removed his hands from behind his head as he took his hands through her soft strawberry blonde hair as her tongue met his in his mouth. She softly licked it and sucked on it making him moan. One of his hands traveled down her spine and cupped her buttocks pulling her closer to him.

Alexandra pulled her lips from his and kissed his nape with soft kisses and gentle nibbles as she kissed his neck softly. Roman leaned his head back giving her full access to his neck. She reached the top button of his shirt and started to unbutton them one by one. She pushed his shirt off and helped him out of the shirt he wore underneath exposing his firm chest. She left a trail of soft kisses on his pectoral muscles, licking around his nipple. His breath hitched in his throat as he felt her soft tongue lick over his nipple and the soft kiss she left on his chest as she made her way down his sternum, kissing and licking every hard inch of his washboard abs. He moaned out as her lips reached his navel. She kissed around it softly before dipping her tongue inside of it. He felt his erection growing in his breeches, he groaned as he felt Alexandra's hand stroking the length of his erection through his breeches. "Someone is feeling better," he said in a voice full of ecstasy. She looked up at him and smiled before she unfastened the top of his breeches and pulled them down exposing his long, thick and full erection. It curled up toward his navel. She took it into her hands. He was heavy and thick in her hands. She stroked him softly. He leaned back into the pillow and moaned as her hands pleasured him. Moans of pleasure escaped his lips, pre-cum covered the tip of his crown. Alexandra licked her lips as she stroked him. She wondered what it would be like to take him in her mouth. It had been something she had never done before. She was willing to try it.

"I want to take you in my mouth," she said softly, lust and love in her voice.

"Some women don't like that kind of thing," he said softly but hoping she would prove to him again that she wasn't like most women. She challenged him with her eyes before she took her tongue over the tip of his crown licking the pre-cum off his cock. His breath deepened as her lips were wrapped around the tip of his cock, sucking him softly as her hands stroked him. "Alexandra," he breathed. Her tongue glided over the tip of his cock as she sucked him. She took more of him in her mouth, he gasped as her lips tightened around his erection and she began to suck harder, her tongue licking the veins in his cock as she took more of him into her mouth. "Take more of me, Alexandra," he moaned as she took another inch of him in her mouth. He was so deep in her mouth as she sucked him. His hands in her hair twisting it in his hand wrapping it around his fist as she took him in her mouth, her lips wrapped tightly around his cock as she made love to him with her mouth, sucking him hard and fast. "YESSS, Baby," he moaned out as she made love to him, pleasuring him with her tongue and her lips. The passion ripped through his body, his abs clenching as his cock thickened in her mouth, he came with a groan filling her mouth with his seed, spurting his semen into her mouth, she swallowed it all until there was no more, until she had sucked him dry. She removed him from her mouth and wiped her lips and looked at him. His eyes were clouded with ecstasy and pleasure, his cock was still hard surprising him. He should have been done, not able to do more but with Alexandra there was never enough, there was never being done. He needed her more than anything. He needed to take her. He kissed her lips fiercely and rolled her over onto her back. He tore her night gown away and tossed it to the floor, her naked body sprawled beneath him. She looked up at him with her deep blue eyes as she held onto his shoulders. He leaned down and kissed her fiercely. He was like a caged animal. He needed to fuck her, not make love to her but fuck her hard and deep. He gave her no warning as he thrusted into her balls deep causing her to gasp at his sudden entrance. He savored the feeling of her sex around his thick erection, she was still as tight as the night he took her virginity away. He pulled out slowly to the tip and thrusted back into her deep and hard. She groaned out in pleasure as he repeated the same movement over and over again, thrusting deep into her, she took him thrust for thrust. She had never had this side of her husband in their bed before but she had no complaints. She dug her nails into his hips as he thrusted into her again and again. She screamed out in pleasure before he took her mouth once again in a fierce deep kiss. The passion ripped through her like a tidal wave forming in the ocean. Her body began to quiver, her toes digging the mattress of their bed, her nails digging into his hips as she came like a tidal wave. She sobbed out his name as she covered his erection with her sweet hot juices. Roman kept moving, thrusting harder and faster each time. He slammed into her one last time, taking her mouth to his, biting her lower lips as he came deep inside of her, filling her with his hot semen. He came so hard that his seed seeped out from her sex and dripped down her inner thighs. He collapsed on top of her, both catching their breath. He kissed her lips softly before he withdrew himself from her. He wanted to take her again and he would have if she had felt better. He wanted to give her time to rest before he called for the doctor.

Dr. Reynolds came within a couple hours after Roman called for him. Roman sat restlessly in the study of his home while the doctor was upstairs in their room examining his wife. He was growing nervous the longer he waited. He began to pace the study impatiently. "Mr. Reigns," said Dr. Reynolds.

"Yes, Doctor?" he asked. "How is she? Is everything okay?"

"She's doing well, she will be sick from time to time," he says, "but everything is okay. The crackers and ginger tea will help," he said with a smile. "Have a good day, Mr. Reigns."

"Thank-you, Dr. Reynolds," he said walking him to the door. "Thank-you for coming on such short noticed. I was worried about her."

"You have nothing to be worried about," he said placing his hand on Roman's shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay," he said. He tipped his hat at Roman before he left.

Roman hurried upstairs to his bedchamber to see his wife. He wanted to know what the doctor found or what the doctor said. He walked into the bedchamber to see his wife sitting up in bed in a satin white night now, her hair pulled up into a bun. "Everything okay in here?" he asked catching his breath.

"Everything is wonderful," she said with a smile, "come sit," she said patting the space next to her.

Roman made his way over to their bed and climbed in next to her. "So what did he say?"

"He told me that I should get a mid-wife," she said with a smile.

"A mid-wife," he paused and looked at her. A smile came across his face and his hand rubbed across her belly, "you're increasing?"

"We're going to have a baby," she said with a smile.

"That was fast," he said with a smile before he kissed her lips softly. "I'm going to be a father."

"Congratulations," she said with a smile. She thought she was pregnant a few days ago when her courses never came. Her courses always came like clockwork and she never missed them. Then the tenderness in her breasts, the tiredness she felt and the awful morning sickness she endured gave it away.

"I'm happy," he said, "I didn't know that it would be this soon but I'm extremely happy," he said with his hand on her stomach. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smile before they shared a soft kiss before there was a knock on their door downstairs. "Who could that be?" she asked.

"I don't know but I'll go find out," he said as he got up from the bed. He made his way downstairs to the door. He opened it to see a messenger standing on the porch. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Is Princess Alexandra here?" he asked.

"She's indisposed at the moment, how can I help you?"

"Can you please see that she gets this?" he asked handing Roman a missive.

"Yes," said Roman. The messenger tipped his hat and walked away as Roman shut the front door. He made his way back up to his bedchamber. "Alexandra," he said as he walked into their bedchamber. "This is for you," he said.

"Thank-you," she said with a smile as she took the missive from him. Her name was written in beautiful penmanship on the front. She tore it open and read what the letter said inside. She put her hand over her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

"What's happened, Alexandra?" he asked with concern.

"It's my father," she said, "he's seriously ill. We need to get back to England right away," she said. "Will you go back to England with me?"

"I'll go wherever you want me to go," he said. "We can head back tonight if you wish," he said. She nodded and with that Roman started to pack up their things and they were on their way back to England within the hour.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Roman taking care of Alexandra while she was sick? What do you think of his opinion of his wife being barefoot in the kitchen tending to her husband changing? Why do you think the decision is so hard for Alexandra to choose if she wants to rule or not? What do you think about her telling Roman she would always choose him? Do you think the king will accept Roman as her husband? What did you think of the new side of Roman in the bedroom? What are your thoughts on Alexandra increasing or her and Roman having a baby? Did it happen fast? What do you think will happen now? What about them rushing back to England for her father? Do you think her father's illness will help her make her decison about being queen? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.***

After a sennight and a half of rough travel from Italy to England; Roman and Alexandra's carriage pulled up outside the gates closing the palace off to the outside world. The guard watching the palace gates caught glimpse of Alexandra and allowed the carriage to enter into the gates. The horse drawn carriage took them to the doors of the palace slowly, the horses hooves clumping against the pavement and the wheels gliding over the pavement. "Are you sure you want to do this alone?" questioned Roman as they stopped outside the doors.

"I think for now it's better this way My Love," she responded. "There's no telling how he's going to react to the news of our marriage and now me with child. I have seen him have men beheaded for trying to be inappropriate with me. I don't know what he would be capable of doing if you're around when he finds out that we're married."

"With your morning sickness you should be resting, taking it easy," he said as he stroked her cheek with his gloved hand sending a shock of electricity through her. "The travel here was rough enough for you," concern lacing his voice. Alexandra had been having a rough time with her pregnancy. She was experiencing the worst case of morning sickness, she hadn't eaten in days and what she tried to eat didn't last long in her stomach. She was tired and run down. She needed rest and most importantly needed to take care of herself better. She was stubborn and insisted on continuing on their trip to England.

"I understand your concern," she said catching his gloved hand with hers as she leaned into his touch, "but this is my father, Roman. I need to be here for him. I need to make sure he is okay."

"I understand," he said, "but what about you and I, when will you and I be able to spend nights as husband and wife, nights where I can hold you in my arms after making love to you for hours and waking up to you every morning before I make love to you again," he said making her stomach flutter. She gave him a soft smile. "Alexandra, I don't want to be apart for too long. Are you telling your father today?"

"I wish to," she said with a smile. "It all depends on his condition. I don't want to spring too much on him. He's dealing with my running away. His heart is not good," she reminded him.

"Just be careful, My Love," he said.

"I will, I promise you," she said with a soft smile. "I love you, Roman."

"I love you too, Alexandra. I will be at my residence. If you should get lonely have a missive sent to me and I will come for you."

"Okay, My Love," she said giving him a soft kiss on the lips before he descended from the carriage and took her hand, guiding her out of the carriage. They shared one last kiss before he released her.

"Remember Ginger Tea and crackers," he said softly.

"I know, Love," she said with a smile as she looked at him with her beautiful ocean blue eyes. Roman had hoped since the day he found out they were with child their child would inherit the same blue eyes as Alexandra. She gave him a soft wave before she knocked on the castle door as Roman climbed back into the carriage and departed to his residence.

"Alexandra," said Carlisle as he answered the door. "Your, Highness," he said with a bow after forgetting his etiquette. "Your Majesty, King Arthur has been troubled since your disappearance. Are you well?" he asked looking her over as she stood at the front door of the palace in a black cloak and a beautiful mint green dress.

"Very well, Carlisle," she said as he allowed her into the palace. "How is he?"

"I believe he is not well," he answered. "The doctor has said there may not be much time left. His condition is very grave." Alexandra's heart broke at his words. She should have been there with her father. She shouldn't have been in Italy. Her place was with her father. "Can I get you anything?" he asked as he helped remove her cloak.

"Ginger tea would be lovely," she said.

"Ginger tea," he said giving her a questioning look.

"My stomach is a little unsettled at the moment, Carlisle. Ginger tea will help to settle it."

"Very well, Your Highness," he said with a bow before hanging her cloak up and disappearing to the kitchen to prepare her tea.

Alexandra made her way up the stairs to see her father. She took in the surroundings around her. She loved the palace. She loved living there but she didn't want the lack of freedom that came along with it. It was a beautiful home. She loved it as a child, it was large and expansive. It was everything a princess could dream of. Her father even had a library put in for her where thousands of works of English authors filled the shelves. She spent hours in the library reading different works, imagining life in the outside world. She enjoyed Italy with Roman and wouldn't mind taking up residence there but for now her place was in the palace by her father's side. Alexandra descended the spiral staircase observing the painted portraits of herself and her father as well as her mother on the walls. She walked passed her bedchamber. The last time she had been in the palace she was no more than an innocent girl that was in love with her guard, now she was far less innocent, married and with child. Her life had changed in a matter of sennights, she was different now, was a woman with a family of her own.

Alexandra stepped inside her father's bedchamber, the room was dim lit only by candlelight. She knocked on the door. Her father coughed before she heard, "Alexandra." It was a struggle for him to speak her name, his breathing was rough and heavy.

"Papa," she said with tears burning her eyes before she made her way over to his bedside. She took his cold hand into hers and kissed his knuckles. "I'm here now, Papa," she said. "I'm here now." She leaned down and kissed his forehead despite his hands being freezing cold his head was hot and sweat covered. "You're burning up," she said. He started coughing violently.

"You left," he said in a rush.

"I know, Papa," she said dipping a washcloth into a bowl of cool water. "You sold me into a marriage to better a small kingdom to a man I do not love."

"Your marriage to Barrett would do great things for both kingdoms," he said.

"That may be true," she said ringing out the wash cloth. She placed it on his head, "but it would do nothing great for me."

"You would learn to love him, Alexandra," he said.

"You told me I had my choice, you told me I could marry a man that I love. I don't love Barrett, you broke your word, Papa. That hurt me, I can't marry Barrett and I won't."

"Please consider, Alexandra I'm not well, I'm going to pass soon and you need to be ready to take the throne in my absence."

"Papa," she said playing with her ruby crusted wedding band thinking about Roman. "I can't marry Barrett."

"Why did you leave with Roman?" he asked weakly.

She took a deep breath and let it out, "I wanted to."

"He did not force you?"

"I went on my own free will, Papa."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You love him?"

"Very much so," she responded honestly, "he has my heart, Papa."

"Alexandra, he is a commoner," he said. "A gypsy, a thief, he is not worthy of you."

"He is every bit worthy of me as anyone else, Papa. You cannot help who you fall in love with. Marriage is about the heart and the soul not about the wealth and royalty. I wish I could have stopped myself from falling in love with him but I couldn't and I'll never stop loving him, Papa."

"Alexandra, he is not the man for you. What could he possibly have to offer you?"

"His heart which means more to me than anything else in this world, his entire soul and the rest of his life," She said looking down at her wedding band.

The king didn't know what his daughter was focused on and followed her eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath when he saw what had her attention. "You're married," he said with heartbreak in his voice.

"Yes, Papa, we married in Italy."

"Why?"

"I love him and he loves me."

"Love is not always enough," he said.

"It's more than enough," she said. "I love him, Papa you won't be able to convince me otherwise."

"You're young, you're rich and you're naïve, he's a gypsy. He doesn't love you. He wants your money. They're all the same."

"That's not true, Papa," she said with tears in her eyes, exasperation in her voice. "He has a good heart. Just give him a chance."

"He ruined you, damaged you made you unworthy of a pure marriage to anyone else. He robbed you of your innocence, Alexandra."

"Our marriage is pure and he didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do. I gave him my innocence willingly."

"Alexandra." Hurt and disappointment filled his voice. "You ruined yourself. No man is going to want to marry you now that your innocence is lost."

"Papa, I AM married and I love him. I'm not marrying anyone else. Roman and I are in this life together for the rest of our lives. You can accept that or you can't but either way nothing is changing. I'm not letting him go."

"Alexandra, this breaks my heart. I wanted someone for you that truly deserves you. Someone that can help you rule over England with."

"But he does truly deserve me," she said. "So much you have no idea, Papa."

"Alexandra, does he treat you well?"

"Yes, Papa, very well, I'm his entire world," she said.

"Do you truly love him? And does he make you happy?"

"More than life itself and he makes me very happy, please Papa, give him a chance. Please."

"It pleases me that you're happy, I do not agree with your rash decision but as long as he treats you well, you love him and you're happy I'm happy," he said making Alexandra smile. "I have always wanted you to be happy and I was wrong for selling you into a marriage."

"I forgive you, Papa," she said with a smile before she kissed his cheek. "You're going to love him. He's the best man in the world, Papa, next to you."

"Is he willing to stand by your side when you take the throne?"

"Papa, he is going to stand by my side no matter what I choose to do. I don't know if I want to take the throne, Papa. I'm 10 and 8. I want to see the world. I want to travel. I want to be free. I know it means a lot to you for me to take the throne but I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Alexandra," he said. "It would please me to have you take the throne in my place. The doctor said I don't have much time left. If you don't take the throne then your Aunt Victoria will take the throne. You will never be able to get the throne back again."

"Papa, Aunt Victoria has wanted the throne for so long. She's much older and has much more knowledge than I do. Maybe she should take the throne."

"Alexandra, please I think about it."

"I have thought about it but if it pleases you, I will think about it more before I make my final decision."

"Thank-you, Alexandra, is your husband with you?" he asked.

"No, Papa, he went to his residence. We didn't believe it was a good idea for him to accompany me today. Will you meet him as my husband?"

"Yes, Alexandra," he said making her smile. "I love you."

"I love you too, Papa," she said with a smile before she gave him a hug. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay by your side I promise," she said with tears in her eyes as Carlisle made his way into the King's bedchamber.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," greeting them with a bow he took Alexandra's tea over to her. "Your Ginger Tea, Your Highness."

"Thank-you," she said with a soft smile before she took the tea from his hands.

"Ginger tea?" asked the king. "I haven't heard of anyone drinking ginger tea since your mother was increasing with you." Alexandra took a sip of her tea and didn't say a word. The ginger settling the nausea she had been feeling all morning. "Alexandra, are you with child?"

"Papa," she said before taking another sip of her tea.

 ***A/N: What do you think of The King's condition? Do you think that Roman and Alexandra should have told her father together that they were married? What did you think of The King's reaction to her marriage? Do you think he believes she made a mistake? What do you think of Alexandra telling her father she may not want to take the throne? What do you think her decision is going to be? How do you think The King will treat Roman when he meets him as Alexandra's husband? Do you think Alexandra is going to tell her father she is with child or wait till a later time? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you so much***

"Alexandra," said King Arthur as he eyed his daughter as she sipped her ginger tea. "Are you with child?"

"Yes, Father," she said after a few moments of silence. Looking into her father's blue eyes and seeing the concern on his face forced her to tell him the news. She didn't want to tell him the news that she was increasing until he had his meeting with Roman but she couldn't lie to her father either; she never could.

"Alexandra," he said with exhaustion in his voice. "I'll kill him."

"Father, you just said you were happy as long as I was happy. You told me you were happy that Roman and I were married. Why would you kill him?"

"He took your innocence before you were married," he said shaking his head. "He took advantage of you. He did not care of your reputation, he didn't care who you were the only thing he cared about was spilling his seed inside of you. He had no care to what your future holds."

"Father, he took nothing from me that I wasn't willing to give. He wanted me to leave. I didn't leave. I chose to stay. My reputation is not damaged. No one will know that it happened before we were married."

"What do you think England will think of their princess increasing after disappearing for a couple sennights, do you believe that they will believe you were married when you had that gypsy spill his seed inside of you damaging you for the rest of your life, damaging your reputation? Roman did what he needed to do to keep you, to get your wealth. You're a young beautiful woman that was damaged at the hands of some gypsy. What do you think England is going to think of their princess and their new prince or princess?"

"Should I care what England thinks of me. I am a married woman. Roman is more than a gypsy. He is my husband and the father of my child, your grandchild. I have not declared whether I will take the throne or not therefore my child is neither a prince nor a princess. Roman loves me and cares about me. If you just give him a chance you would see that," anger in her voice. "Just give him a chance."

"Alexandra, do you not see what he's done to you?"

" _Loved_ me? He has done nothing less than love me and do his best to make me happy. You told me I could marry for love and that I could choose. You chose Barrett for me, didn't give me a choice."

"Barrett is a much better candidate and he wouldn't have destroyed England's princess either. Alexandra, Roman has you under a spell."

"I'm not under any spell, Father," she said with anger. "If you can't accept Roman being my husband or the father of your grandchild then I can't be here, I'm going to leave." She turned toward the door.

"Alexandra, wait," he said. "I'm not happy about the situation with Roman but if he makes you happy I'll swallow my pride and deal with this. I want you to be happy and if Roman is the man to make you happy I have no choice but to accept it. I just don't want to see you get hurt and if you give up the throne your child would have to take over England," he said.

"How would a baby take over England, if I give up the throne I'm giving it up to Aunt Victoria and allow her to take over England," she said. "I'm going to allow you to rest. You need to rest. You look horrible."

"When are you bringing Roman over for me?"

"I will let you rest, I think you've had enough excitement for one day," she said fixing his covers. "I'll bring him over tomorrow."

"Very well," he said with a soft smile. "Alexandra, I do love you and I want you to be happy but I don't want to see you to get hurt. I know you think I'm going to be irrational about Roman but he has to prove to me that he truly loves you and that he truly deserves you."

"I know, Father but promise you won't be too irrational with him. Give him a chance please he means a lot to me. And he is the father of my child. Please promise me you will be polite to him."

"I promise," he said with a smile. She smiled back at him and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too, Father," she said with a smile before she made her way out of his bedchamber. She made her way to the study and wrote out a missive for Roman to come for her so they could spend the night together in his residence before she took him to the palace to see her father the next day. Alexandra knew the king loved her and she loved her father but she also loved Roman. Roman would always be the man she loved and will always be the father of their child or children if they were to be blessed with more but she knew if it came down to choosing between being the Queen of England and being married to Roman; she would choose Roman, it would ALWAYS be Roman.

"Well, look who it is," said Dean as Roman walked into his pub. "The stranger is back from Italy."

"Hello," he said taking a seat at the bar as Dean greeted him with a beer. "I'm not sure how long I am back for. It may be a short while or it may be forever. I'm not positive."

"What took you to Italy?" he asked.

"Just something I had to do. I wanted to get away from England for a while."

"You haven't been to Italy since before Adelina passed away; what made you go back?"

"I just wanted to go visit Italy for some time."

"Is there any coincidence that you took off to Italy around the time the Princess Alexandra went missing?"

"Possibly," he said with a smile as Dean caught a glimpse of his wedding band.

"Is that a wedding band I see on your finger? Are you married?"

Roman gave him a smile as he sat his beer down, "happily so."

"You move fast. Please tell me it isn't the Princess. Please tell me that it's not Princess Alexandra. You couldn't be that ignorant to marry the princess without her father's consent. And not just a father, the King of England! You're lucky to still have your head."

"He was giving her to Prince Barrett to marry for a price. He was forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. I had been secretly courting her, we were at the masquerade together when that Prince came up and took her away from me. She came to my residence upset because I was leaving. I told her I was no good for her that I wasn't the man for her to marry. I was intoxicated. I knew if she stayed I was going to damage her. I knew I was going to destroy her but she insisted on staying no matter how much I persuaded her to leave she would not leave. I took her to my bed and made love to her. I took her virginity. I couldn't stop myself, I didn't want to stop myself so I made no effort to prevent conception. I know I was selfish but if I couldn't have her I didn't want anyone else to have her either. She was upset that I spent myself inside of her but I asked her to marry me. I asked her to run away with me to marry me and the next morning we were on our way to Italy and then we were married."

"I don't know what to say. You married the Princess of England, YOU married the Princess of England?"

"Why is it so hard to believe that I am married to the Princess?"

"Because you're alive to tell me about it so how is the married life treating you?"

"It's something new for both of us we're getting there. I enjoy her company and enjoy my time with her. We came back to England because her father is not well."

"I heard," he said, "does this mean she's going to take the throne?"

"She hasn't decided. She's struggling with the decision to be Queen or not."

"Do you want her to become the Queen of England? You would be royalty. That's a story to tell a poor gypsy boy that started with nothing and married into royalty. How did you manage that?"

"Because my wife loves me and I love her," he said. "The day I married her my entire life began again. I never thought I would be happy again and never thought I would be able to love again but Alexandra is different. She's so special to me. She's a woman that doesn't stick to what society wants or expects from a woman and I love that about her. She's independent, strong-willed and beautiful. I want to spend the rest of my life with her and I'm going to do it. She's my wife, the love of my life and the mother of my child."

"Child?" he asked. "She's increasing?"

Roman gave his best friend a smile of pride and said, "very much so. She's troubled with terrible morning sickness."

"You're the father of the prince or princess of England?"

"If Alexandra takes the throne as Queen I believe so," he said with amusement.

"Congratulations," he said shaking his hand. "Marriage and a baby you two did not waste any time. I'm really surprised that you're still able to walk and aren't executed yet."

"She was telling her father today that we are married," he said. "I hope that it went well because if not palace guards could come to get me at any moment now to take me to my execution but I don't think Alexandra would allow it."

"I should hope not," he said with a smile. "Is Alexandra doing well?"

"Other than her morning sickness she is doing quite well. She's happy about the baby. She's worried about her father. I don't want her to get too upset because of the baby. And she's not eating either. I need her to be healthy."

"I know," he said, "How are you feeling about the baby?"

"Nervous," he said honestly. "I'm really nervous about the baby. I know Adelina was with child before she passed away and I was nervous then too but now I'm even more nervous. I don't want anything to happen to Alexandra or the baby. I'm excited to be a father but still nervous because I won't know what to do. I know nothing about being a father. My father was abusive and hurtful toward me. I know nothing on how to be a father."

"The mother takes care of the child there's nothing to be nervous about."

"It is a little life that I will be responsible for. I don't want to be like my father. I want to do things differently for my son or daughter. I want more for them than I had growing up. I'm scared that I could let them down and I'm scared I'll let Alexandra down. I'm scared that I won't be the father I should be."

"It will take you some time. I think you'll be a wonderful father."

"Thanks for the encouragement," he said as a man walked over to Roman and delivered a missive to him. "Thank-you." Roman read over the missive and smiled. He stood up and paid for his drink.

"It's on the house," said Dean, "where are you going?"

"To get my wife," he said with a soft smile. "Maybe I could talk her into coming here with me sometime so that you can meet her."

Dean chuckled, "yes the Princess of England is going to come to my pub. I don't count on it, Roman." Roman chuckled before he nodded his head and walked out of the pub.

"How are you feeling?" Roman asked Alexandra as he walked into the bedchamber of his residence in England as she sat brushing through her waist length strawberry blonde hair. Her deep blue eyes met his in the mirror.

"Better," she said softly. After she had returned from the palace she was not feeling well so Roman had her get some rest before they talked about how it went with the King. "I hope this morning sickness doesn't last the whole time I'm increasing. It's exhausting," she said as he took the brush from her hand.

"Let me," he said as he started to brush through her hair making her smile. "I don't know if it will last the whole time but you still need to take care of yourself. I made you some dinner."

"You made me dinner? I thought that was the wife's job?" she asked making him smile.

"Sometimes a man has to take care of his wife," he said with a smile. "Especially when he wants her to eat something."

"I promise I'll eat. What did you make?"

"Just a simple broth nothing too big, I know you have morning sickness. I wanted something small and easy for you, something that won't upset your stomach."

"Thank-you," she said with a soft smile. "My father knows."

"How did he react to the news?"

"He was all over the place. The marriage he was upset about at first because he doesn't believe you're good enough for me and that you're trying to get to my money. I had to explain to him how much you and I love each other. I don't think I could love anyone more than I love you."

"I know I couldn't love anyone more than you," he said softly as he started to braid her hair. "So he doesn't want me beheaded?"

She chuckled, "of course not and you know that I would never allow it but he does want to have a meeting with you tomorrow. He wants you to prove to him that you're worthy of me and that you truly do love me."

"I understand. If we have a daughter I would be just as protective of her as your father is of you. It's a father thing."

"I understand that but he tried to force me into a marriage with a man I don't love. I want him to see how much you and I love one another. I want him to see you for more than a guard."

"I will do my best," he said as he continued to braid her hair. "Does he know that you're with child?"

"Only because Carlisle brought in Ginger Tea, he put it together. He had just calmed down from the marriage announcement then got riled up over the fact we are with child. He was not happy at all but he promised me that he would give you a chance. He said he wants me to be happy but you still have to prove to him you're worthy."

"Alexandra, every day I find myself unworthy of you. I still have trouble believing that you're my wife and that you're going to be with me for life. How can I prove to your father that I'm worthy of you when I myself don't believe I am worthy of you?"

She turned around to face him causing her braid to fall out of his hands. "Listen to me, Roman, if I didn't think you were worthy of me I wouldn't have married you. I wouldn't have given myself to you so freely. I love you, Roman, not because of what you have or don't have but because of who you are. I love you because of your heart, your caring nature and because you're an amazing man. You love me and you think the world of me. That makes you worthy of me stop devaluing yourself to me because I'm a princess. That doesn't matter what matters is that you love me and you treat me well. Roman, I love you for you. I find you worthy of me every day."

"Alexandra," he said softly as he got down on his knees in front of her chair and took her hands into his. "I love you. I promise I will dedicate the rest of my life to you, taking care of you, loving you and making you happy. I want that more than anything but how long will you be happy with me?"

"Forever," she said running her hands through his hair, "forever, Roman. I promise you," she said before she pressed a kiss to his forehead. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "You and I are starting a family, a family that came from the love between us. That's the best creation in the world. I love you and I will love you forever," she said with a smile as his palm spread over her belly. "Forever, Roman."

"Forever," he said with a soft smile. "Is your father going to hate me?"

"Not forever but right now he's letting it sink in. My father wants nothing but my happiness. All of this blindsided him, he needs some time to let it sink in. You just be yourself tomorrow when you meet with him; as long as yourself how could he not love you. You made me fall in love with you when you got past the 'I want to bed you' speech and let me see your heart; no one could not fall in love with you," she said with a smile with her blue eyes shining.

"I ended up bedding you didn't I?" he asked with amusement.

"After I fell in love with you," she said with a soft smile. "And you got a wife out of the deal." He smiled as she leaned down and kissed his lips softly. "I'm hungry. Let's go have dinner," she said as she stood up with his hand in hers and he stood up with her. They made their way downstairs to his kitchen to have dinner together. Alexandra didn't want to cloud their evening with discussion of the decision she had to make but she knew the time would come where she would need to choose this normal life with her husband that she had grown accustomed to or choose the life of royalty of balls, masquerades and living in a palace secluded from the world but she also knew that her husband would support her in whatever choice she made.

 ***A/N: What did you think of The King's reaction to Alexandra being with child? Do you think he will come around and see what Alexandra sees in Roman that makes her love him so much? Will Roman prove to the King that he is worthy of the Princess? What did you think of Roman's conversation with Dean and him admitting to why he did what he did to Alexandra? Did that surprise you? What about him being nervous to be a father? What did you think of what Alexandra said in response to Roman feeling like he's not worthy of her? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much***

Roman paced the Royal sitting room as he waited for the King to make his presence. "Stop pacing," said Alexandra as she sat on a white couch. "Pacing isn't going to make this easier."

"I'm nervous, Alexandra," he replied. "I know your father is going to hate me. Why wouldn't he? I broke his trust by defiling his only daughter, ran away with her and took as my wife and let's not mention that you're with child. I have heard stories about him having people beheaded just for looking at you the wrong way."

"That's not the truth," she said with amusement. "My father isn't some Neanderthal. He loves me madly and I am his only daughter but he doesn't have people beheaded for looking at me the wrong way. That's just a story that people choose to believe."

"What happened to your guard before me? I have heard that he was put in for execution for being inappropriate with you," he said.

Alexandra laughed making Roman smile. He loved the sound of her laugh. She had done it so little it was always music to his ears to hear her laugh and to see her smile. "That's part of what happened. He did get inappropriate with me but he was also stealing from the palace. My father put him up for execution for his stealing not because of his inappropriate advances to me."

"That's a bit of a relief," he said as Alexandra stood up and walked toward him. She was a beautiful welcoming sight. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into a low bun resting on the nape of her neck, she had a natural glow to her and her blue eyes were clear. The sunlight hit the freckles on her nose, Roman loved her freckles. They were uniquely her. They just added an extra spark to her natural beauty. Roman opened his arms for her and she walked into them. "I love you, Alexandra, I don't want to give you up or lose you because your father doesn't approve of me. I will give you the world the best that I can. I can give you everything you desire."

"The only thing I desire is your love and your heart," she said resting her head on his chest. "You don't have to give me the world. You don't have to give me anything but yourself and your heart. That's the only thing I desire. You will never lose me," she said, "I promise."

"Do you promise? What if your father forbids you from marrying me?"

"It's a little late for that now isn't it?' she asked looking up at him with a smile on her face.

"Yes it is," he said with a soft smile before he leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

Their kiss was interrupted by Carlisle clearing his throat to announce the King's arrival. Roman released Alexandra. She said her goodbye to Roman and kissed her father on the cheek before she left the sitting room to give them time alone so that she could go to the library. It would be the only room in the palace that she would miss if she chose to leave the life of royalty. "Your Majesty," said Roman nervously as he bowed before the King.

"Mr. Reigns," he said curtly. "I understand we have some discussing to do," he said. "Take a seat," he said motioning to a chair for him to sit in. Roman took a seat and his father in law took a seat on the couch. Both men stared at each other in silence as the tension built between them. "So you married my daughter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Alexandra and I are married yes."

"Did you intentionally want to upset me by taking advantage of my daughter? My daughter that is 10 and 8?"

"I didn't mean to upset you," he started to say.

Arthur interrupted, "you took my daughter's innocence away, ran off with her and married her without MY consent and my approval but you didn't mean to upset me? Did you think I would be joyous at the events that occurred?"

"No, Your Majesty." Roman hung his head. "But if it's any cancellation I do love your daughter. I love her more than any words could ever say. She has a very special place in my heart. I gave her my heart and took hers. I had no ill intentions of destroying your daughter if that's what you believe."

"You did destroy my daughter. You took her innocence. You two are not married long enough for her to know she's with child. How long?"

"A month and a half, I was secretly courting Alexandra. I have fallen in love with her. She means everything to me. I love her with my entire heart."

"You were courting her? Did you not think you needed my permission?"

"Let's be honest, you know my background, you know where I came from if Alexandra went to you about me courting her or I went to you about courting her would you have given me your blessing?"

"Well, no," he said honestly.

"The heart knows what it wants your majesty. You can't stop who you fall for even if you're a poor gypsy man that had a wife and lost her in a carriage accident. I'm not a bad man. I assure you. I know it's going to take some time for you to trust me and to believe me but all you're going to see is that I have the best intentions for your daughter and my wife. I want her to be happy, I want to make her happy. I will love her till the day I die."

"And if she took the throne?" he asked, "would you be willing to stand by her side as she rules over the kingdom? Would you be willing to just be in her shadow, raise the prince or princess of England? You will not be King or a Prince. You will only be Roman, the guard that the Princess fell in love with. I want Alexandra to take the throne but she's as stubborn as her mother was. She doesn't want it. She believes she's too young."

"If Alexandra took the throne I would not go anywhere. I would support her and stand by her side as she ruled over England. I don't care if I am only a shadow but I will be by her side no matter what she chooses. Alexandra wants to see the world, she wants to live before she takes the throne," he said honestly.

"And that's why you took her to Italy?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I do not like the way you procured my daughter but she seems to be very happy with you. I know she loves you. She must because she was against any type of marriage unless she truly loved the man to be her spouse. I want to believe that you truly love her and not her wealth. I want to believe that your intention is to make her happy. I will be watching you, Roman for as long as I can. The only thing I want to see in life is that Alexandra is happy and loved. I would love to see her take the throne but that's her decision to make. I can't force her to take the throne much like I couldn't force her to marry a man that she didn't love. Alexandra is stubborn but she has a big heart. She must to see you for more than the guard you were supposed to be," he said making Roman shift in his chair. "You have resigned from the guard position which I understand but as her husband it is still your job to protect her. Would you like me to hire another guard to protect her as well?"

"I would die protecting Alexandra," he said, "and if you want to send in another guard I am okay with that. I want her to be as safe as possible. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize to me, just prove to me that you're worthy of my daughter's affection and everything will be all right."

"I promise to take care of your daughter and to make her happy. I will prove to you that I'm worthy of her affection."

"That's all that I ask," he said. "I don't have much time left," he said, "the doctor is only giving me another month. I want to know that Alexandra is happy and loved. I want to know that she taken care of. How do you plan to take care of her if she doesn't take the throne?"

"I'll get a job. I'll do what I can," he said.

"And what of her properties and businesses she owns? What will you do with them?"

"They are her properties and her businesses that she has acquired. I do not wish to do anything with them but what she wishes."

"Alexandra is different than most women."

"One of the many qualities I love about her," he said with a smile.

"Her mother would be so proud of the woman she became."

"I'm sure she would be," he said with a smile. "Alexandra is a beautiful, intelligent and amazing woman, who wouldn't be proud of her?" The king smiled at the pride in Roman's voice as he spoke of Alexandra. The king recognized the look in Roman's eyes every time he talked about Alexandra. It is the same look he had in his eyes when he looked and talked about Sophia.

"I don't disagree," said the King with a smile. "I'm happy that Alexandra found someone that believes in her as much as I do," he said before extending his hand to Roman. "Welcome to the family," he said as Roman shook his hand. "You still have some things to prove to me but welcome to the family and congratulations on your child."

"Thank-you," said Roman with a soft smile.

"It didn't go too bad now did it?" asked Alexandra as she and Roman were sitting in the sitting room.

"Not really," said Roman. "I thought I was going to lose my head."

"I told you my father isn't really like that. He wants me to be happy. He welcomed you to the family that's a really good sign."

"I hope so," he said with a smile as he placed his hand on her stomach. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better than most days," she said, "You know what I'm going to miss if I don't take the throne?"

"What?"

"My library."

"I'll give you a library wherever we take residence," he said. "I know how much you love to read."

"I love reading," she said with a smile as he rubbed her stomach as she rested her head on his chest. "I always enjoyed it."

"What makes you love it so much?"

"Because it can take me to a world from here, I used to get lost in my books just to escape palace life. You know I have to choose between a normal life or being the Queen right?"

"I'm aware, what are your thoughts? Do you have any idea what you want to do?"

"I don't know," she said. "A part of me doesn't want to take the throne but a part of me wants me to take the throne. If I take the throne you and I lose a lot of freedom. I'm 10 and 8, Roman. I want time to live and do the things I want. I'm with child and taking the throne would cause a lot more stress than necessary. Am I truly ready to be the Queen?"

"I think that if you want to take the throne and you want to be the Queen you're capable of anything you want to do but I understand your reservations," he said. "I just want you to be happy. I want you to do what's going to make you happy the rest of your life. I can't make any decisions for you. The only person that can do that is you. I just want you to be happy and I will support you in whatever you choose."

"I'm glad you support me so much," she said with a smile as she put her hand over his on her stomach. "Are you truly excited that I'm increasing?"

"I'm ecstatic I just want you to take care of yourself by eating. I know it's hard to eat when you're sick all the time but at least try."

"I'll try my best," she said. "I'm happy."

"That's all I want to hear," he said kissing the top of her head.

They were interrupted when Carlisle came into the sitting room. "Your Highness, Prince Barrett has come to call, should I tell him you're indisposed?"

"Allow him to enter," she said as she sat up and Roman removed his hand from her stomach allowing her to stand up as he helped her. "He has to know sometime."

"I don't disagree," he said keeping his hand at the small of her back as Prince Barrett sauntered into the sitting room.

"Alexandra," he said with relief in his voice as he came to hug her. She put her hand out for him to shake instead. "I've been worried about you."

"I'm home now," she said as Roman rubbed the small of her back. "No need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"Good we can start planning the wedding now. I was thinking that we could be married in a couple days."

"I'm not marrying you, Barrett," she said.

"Your father promised you to me. We're marrying by the end of the week."

"No, we're not," she said, "you and I are not marrying."

"Yes, Alexandra we are," he said grabbing her.

"Do not put your hands on her. Do not touch her," said Roman, "you two will not be marrying."

"Stay out of this, Reigns. This is not your business. Alexandra is going to be my wife. You're nothing but the guard. You're not in this so back up and mind your own business."

Roman stepped in front of Alexandra guarding her from Barrett. "Alexandra is MY business."

"Back away from me peasant," he said.

"Alexandra is my wife," he said, "I'm here to protect her. You need to leave now."

"I'm not leaving, what are you saying? Alexandra is that true? Did you marry someone like him?"

"Yes," Alexandra replied softly. "He is my husband."

"NO!" shouted Barrett. "You are to be MY wife. I will not allow you to be with someone like him."

"It's too late," said Roman, "we're married. You don't get to marry her. She will never love you."

"You're not allowed to have her," he said. He threw a white glove between the two of them. "I challenge you to a duel, the winner gets Alexandra for a wife."

"No!" cried Alexandra as she grabbed onto Roman's back.

"You're on," said Roman.

 ***A/N: How do you think the meeting with the King and Roman went? What do you think of Roman's support for Alexandra? Do you believe Alexandra will end up taking the throne? What do you think made the king so polite to Roman and welcome him to the family? What did you think of Barrett coming to see Alexandra? What are your thoughts on the duel? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"A duel?" asked Alexandra as she paced Roman's bedchamber as he prepared himself for his duel against Wade Barrett. She stopped and looked at him with her arms crossed as he stepped into a pair of olive breeches. He looked up and met her gaze. He could tell that she wasn't happy. "What are you thinking, Roman?"

"He challenged me," he responded as he pulled on a new shirt. "Was I supposed to deny his challenge?"

"Yes, Roman what could this possibly gain. You already have me and whether you win or lose isn't going to change that. This is foolish. If Barrett wins; then what? You and I are already married and that's legally bind. The only thing that would separate us is if you should become a widow or I become a widow. We are with child, Roman this entire duel is ridiculous," she tapped her foot with her arms crossed. Her pink lips full and pursed out as she looked at him with stone cold blue eyes as she stood by the window, he could see that she wasn't happy with his decision to accept Barrett's challenge to a duel for her.

"In all fairness, Alexandra, you were promised to him when I took you to my bed that night and took you to Italy. You were his when I took you for my wife."

"I was NEVER his. I was NEVER anyone's until the day you took me as your wife and made me the mother of your child. I don't belong to anyone and will not belong to anyone but you."

"You don't think that I can win against Barrett do you?"

"It's not about you winning or losing it's about you feeling the need to fight Barrett for something that will always be yours. I'm not a prize, Roman, I'm your wife. I'm the mother of your child. I don't understand your need to do this. You have already won, Roman and if you can't see that I don't know what else to say to you but this is foolish."

He made his way over to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders after he kissed the top of her strawberry blonde hair. "I want your father to see that I would do anything for you. I would die fighting for you."

"I hope it doesn't come to that our child deserves to know their father and I think my father would be happy knowing that you love me and knowing that you make me happy. You have nothing to prove to him especially participating in some ridiculous duel. Please don't do this," she begged placing her hands on his elbows. "I don't want you to do this."

"I can't run away from the challenge," he said. "If I didn't accept it I wouldn't even make the effort but I accepted the challenge. Once I defeat Barrett you and I can move on with our lives."

"We were moving on with our lives, Roman," she said shaking her head. "I don't like this."

"I'm sorry," he said pulling her into an embrace. "I upset you and I'm sorry."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "I just think this is dumb, Roman. I appreciate your willingness to fight for me but you don't have to do this. Nothing is going to change whether you win or lose. When Barrett finds out I am with child he will not desire me for a wife anymore. I don't want this to happen but I know that you can't stop it now."

"I wish that I could," he said as he rubbed the length of her spine with his fingertips. "I promise everything will be okay."

"Are you sure? What if Barrett chooses to fight dirty?"

"I have spent a majority of my life fencing and defending myself I'm sure I can handle Prince Barrett."

"He is one of the best fencers, Roman," she said looking up at him with her blue eyes. He could see the concern lacing her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt," he said with a soft smile.

"Promise?"

"I promise, Beautiful," he said with confidence making her smile. "I love you, Alexandra and I meant what I said. I will die protecting you and fighting for you."

"I know you would but I don't want that to happen before you get to meet our child. He or she should have been your number one thought not fighting for something that already belongs to you. You and I legally married and married in the eyes of God. Nothing is going to change that. You, the baby and I are a family, we're going to be a happy family. You don't have to prove to anyone how much you love me. I know how much you love me and that's all that should matter to you."

"You are all that matters to me," he said, "but sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. It is my job as your husband and the father of your child to protect you and fight for you whether you belong to me or not. I will defend your honor and I will fight for you. That's what I am supposed to do. I will not turn away from a challenge that is about you. I will let the world know how much you mean to me." She reached up and kissed his lips softly as he pulled her closer and tighter against him.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips before kissing him once more.

As bystanders filled the castle's courtyard to witness to the duel between Prince Barrett one of England's finest and most eligible bachelors and Roman Reigns a poor gypsy boy that lost his wife in a carriage accident and was known as the guard to the princess Alexandra was standing keeping a close watch on the action with her father. "What is the meaning of this?" asked the King. "Why is your husband dueling for you when he already has you?"

"He feels he has something to prove, Father. He believes that this will show you he will do anything for me and for our child. He wants you to believe in him, Father."

"He has nothing to prove to me. I know that he loves you, Alexandra. He seems to be a good young man. You seem to be very happy with him. That's all I ever asked for and always wanted for you."

"You like him?" She asked with a smile as she watched her husband take his opening stance. She knew that the villagers were anything but Roman supporters. She knew that they were pulling for Prince Barrett. They wanted the Princess and Prince together but she wanted anything but. They didn't know Roman. They knew nothing about him not like she did. He was more to her than a commoner, a gypsy and a widow. He was the love of her life, he was a gentle man with a loving soul that treated her like she was the entire world. He started off a little rough around the edges but as she got to know him she saw him as so much more and she loved the man he was. He was the love of her life as she was the love of his.

"I love him," he said with a smile. "I told him he still had to prove to me that he deserves you and that he is worthy of you but I saw it in his eyes Alexandra, I saw the love he has for you and how much he cares for you. He lit up when we talked about you. When he talked about supporting you if you take the throne or if you don't I could hear the sincerity in his voice. You knew that you loved him and you did what you thought you needed to do. I just wish I could have been there to see you two marry. You're my only daughter. I would have loved to see you marry."

"You know that it's not too late you can still see us marry after Roman wins the duel he will technically be in reward of me. We could marry by the end of the week and no one would know any different."

"But you're with child, Alexandra. Your body is already starting to change," he said as she ran her hand over her stomach and looked down at her body. Her father was not wrong. Her body had started to change she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the fact she was increasing much longer. Her chest was larger and fighting with her corset she could barely breathe inside of it and her stomach was developing a small bump. Anyone that knew her well enough and studied her appearance would see and notice the difference. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she watched Barrett and Roman square off in their duel. "You can't hide the fact you're increasing forever."

"I know father," she said, "but once Roman wins we will be married by the end of the week. No one has to know that I'm increasing just yet. No one will suspect a thing. They will just believe I became with child on our wedding night. The villagers don't even have to see us married I didn't marry for them, I married for me and I'll marry for you. We can do everything by the week's end."

"You're stuck in your ways, Alexandra but if that's what you want to do. I will be proud to watch my little princess marry the man that she loves and the man that can make her happier than anyone. Have you given it any thought about whether you want to take the throne or not?"

"I've been thinking," she said with a sigh as Roman held the upper hand in the duel. "I just haven't reached a decision yet. It's going to take some time. I can't just decide if I am going to be queen or not. There's a lot I want to do before I become Queen. I'm 10 and 8, Father I can't just give up my life to rule a kingdom but a part of me wants to make you proud. I need a little more time to decide."

"You don't have much longer, Alexandra," he said softly. "I'm not getting any better. If I pass away before you make your decision you will automatically inherit the throne and the entire kingdom. You will not be able to stop it. You need to make your decision soon. I want you to do what's going to make you happy, Alexandra. If you feel like the throne won't make you happy you will not disappoint me. I don't want you to feel you need to take the throne because it will hurt me if you don't. I want you to be happy. I want you to live the life you dream of living whether it be traveling the world with your children and Roman or ruling over the kingdom. You're a very intelligent young woman," he said, "you have many opportunities in front of you and a husband that loves you very much. You will be fine either way I know that you will. I just don't want you to feel pressured. Take a few more days to think about it and discuss it with Roman. Then you and I will go from there. I just want you to be happy, Alexandra. That's all my heart desires for you."

She smiled as she hugged her father tightly as he hugged her back. His words meant so much to her. She had felt the need to take the throne because it would please her father knowing that he just wanted her to be happy meant everything to her. She was still in conflict over her decision and needed more time to think about it. It wasn't something that would come lightly. It was going to be a long thought process but she took her mind off of it for the remainder of the duel as she watched her husband keep the upper hand against Barrett. Barrett had taken fencing lessons since he was a young boy but his skills were no match against Roman's. Roman had mentioned that he used to fight to survive which led Alexandra to believe that was the reason for his success in defeating Barrett in the duel. The villagers were shocked as Alexandra made her way over to her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he embraced her. She took his mouth to hers and kissed him deeply. "I love you!"

"I love you too," he said with a smile as he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her once more. Barrett hung his head in defeat as he walked away.

"Don't ever stop," she said with a smile.

"Never," he said smiling back at her as he carried her back to the castle as the villagers watched the Princess' hero carry her away to celebrate his victory.

"I told my father we would marry for him by the end of the week," said Alexandra as she and Roman were lying in her bed after celebrating his victory against Barrett. "Are you okay with marrying me again for my father?"

"I would marry you a thousand times over," he said with a smile as he drew circles with his finger over her slightly growing stomach. "That's what you always wanted."

"You to marry me a thousand times over?" she asked with amusement. "Of course."

"Other than that but married in front of your friends and family."

"I don't have friends and as for family you, my father and the baby are my only family."

"What about your Aunt Victoria and her children?"

"My Aunt Victoria holds a grudge against me you know that," she said playing with his hair. "It won't be long before she appears again. I am not looking forward to that reunion."

"I don't blame you," he said. "I can't believe you and I created life together."

"Neither can I," she said with a smile. "You're going to be a great father," she said as if she had sensed his nervousness. "I just don't know if he or she will be raised as a prince or princess. I've been thinking about it, Roman. I grew up in this palace. I had everything that I could desire except friends and a life outside the walls. My only friends were my servants and my teachers. I looked forward to my teachers coming to teach me every day so I could talk to them. My only getaway was the library. I had a secluded life. I don't want that for our children. I want more for them. There's this whole big world outside of these walls that I want them to see and that I want to see. I don't want to become queen and have them trapped inside these walls but a part of me wants to take the throne. I want to take the throne but our child is the one I'm considering most in my decision. I myself don't want to be secluded and hidden away from the world only making special appearances. I want to see the world with you."

"I will not stop you from taking the throne or raising our child to be the prince or princess that is your family legacy. I understand your concerns. Is there a way to do both?"

"You mean like rule England but still be able to travel?"

"Yes something like that."

"What are you thinking?" she asked running her fingers through his soft hair as he rubbed her stomach.

"What if you took the throne, you ruled the kingdom but twice a year you traveled? You, the baby and I could travel twice a year to wherever you would want to go. We could have a residence in Italy as well. Our child doesn't need to be secluded from the world. We can take them to social outings and have them make friends. We will send our child to school we will just make sure they are protected well. I want you to have the best of both worlds, Alexandra. I know that you want both the throne and a life of normalcy. We can make it work both ways."

"We'll never have a life of normalcy, Roman. I will be the Queen of England and our child will be the heir to the throne. They will live in a castle nothing will be normal about that but I like how you're thinking."

"We can make it work, Alexandra. I understand that we will never have a life of normalcy if you take the throne but we can try to live as normal as we can as a family. I want you to see the world and for our children to see the world. I want you to be happy but I don't think you would be happy just choosing one of them so let's do both. Take the throne and we'll still travel a couple times a year. What do you think?"

"I love the way you think. I knew I married you for some reason," she said with a smile.

"I thought it was for my body," he teased.

"Well, that too but mostly it was because of this," she said placing her hand over his heart. "I love you entirely too much, Roman."

"That's not a bad thing," he said. "You can never love someone too much. I can't even put into words how much you mean to me and how much I love you. I want you to be happy and this is the only way I can see it happening."

"I have to talk to my father to see if it's possible before I make any decision but I think this is the way I want to go. I think I'm going to take the throne as long as I can remain as normal as possible. You'll be married to the Queen of England," she said with a smile.

"I'll be married to Alexandra no matter what title you carry you will always be Alexandra to me and the woman that I love with every beat of my heart," he said making tears form in her eyes. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I love you so much," she said with a smile, "and the love you have for me it makes me hurt in a good way. I love you," she said with a soft smile before he leaned over and kissed her lips softly.

"I love you and I'll never stop," he said before they shared another soft and loving kiss.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Alexandra trying to talk Roman out of the duel? Was the duel necessary? What did you think of Alexandra talking to her father about Roman? Are you glad the King approves of Roman? What do you think of Alexandr and Roman marrying again for her father? What are your thoughts on Roman's idea for Alexandra if she takes the throne? Do you think they can try to live as normally as possible despite her being the Queen? Will the King go for their idea? What do you think of Alexandra crying because of how much Roman loves her? What do you think of their love for each other. Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you so much.***

Roman and Alexandra walked hand in hand through the palace halls to the study where they were meeting with the King to discuss Alexandra's decision on whether she would or wouldn't take the throne to rule over England. King Arthur would have to agree with the stipulations Alexandra and Roman agreed upon the night before which included traveling at least twice a year from England and allowing their child or children to live a life as normally as possible which included going to a regular school with children its age or their age as well as not being secluded from the world. Alexandra wanted to give her child a life she never got to enjoy, give them an opportunity to travel and see the world outside of England. "Are you ready for this?" asked Roman as they stopped outside the study door.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said softly. "What if he doesn't agree to it? I can't take the throne if he doesn't agree to it."

"Then you don't take the throne," he said with a soft smile as they faced each other. He brushed a piece of her strawberry blonde hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "No matter what decision you make I'm going to be right here beside you. I'm going to support you in every way that I can."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile as got up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said softly. "Ready?"

"Ready," she said as he smiled and opened the study door for her. King Arthur and her Aunt Victoria turned around to watch her entrance. Alexandra's blue eyes met her aunt's green eyes. "Aunt Victoria, I didn't know you were here. I can come back another time if now is not a good time."

"Don't be foolish, Darling," said Victoria surprising her niece as Roman stepped into the room shutting the study door behind him. Victoria made her way over to her niece as Alexandra kept a close eye on her. She wasn't sure how to respond to Victoria. She had never seen this side of her.

"No really," said Alexandra, "I can come back another time. I wanted to talk to you, Papa about my decision as far as the throne goes."

"Alexandra," he said.

"Alexandra," interrupted Victoria. "Please allow me to stay as you discuss your decision. I am curious to know whether you decided to take the throne or not."

"I think it would be better if I talked to Papa alone," said Alexandra.

"Non-sense," said Victoria. "Come in here," she pulling Alexandra further into the study. "Let's get comfortable."

"Really, Aunt Victoria I think it would be best if Roman and I talked to Papa alone. I'm sure you're curious to know my decision but right now I believe that it is best if it is just Roman, Papa and me."

"Non-sense," said Victoria. "I'm glad you're home, Alexandra. I was so concerned about you," she said pulling Alexandra into a tight hug. Alexandra wasn't sure how to react. She had never experienced that type of affection from her aunt. She was used to her cruelty and jealousy.

Alexandra reluctantly hugged her aunt back, hesitantly wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sure you were just devastated, Aunt Victoria. I'm sure you were wishing I would never return."

"That's foolish, Alexandra. I would never wish ill on my niece," she said as she pulled away holding onto Alexandra's elbows. Her eyes looked up and down Alexandra's body. "You're glowing, Darling," she said, "and if you ask me I believe you're also getting kind of chubby. Are you putting on weight?"

"I may be putting on a few pounds," said Alexandra breaking free from her grasp.

"But your glow is beautiful."

"Thank-you," said Alexandra. "I'm ready to make my decision now, Papa."

"Wonderful," said her father after she greeted him with a kiss but kept an eye on her aunt. They took a seat in the study; Roman and Alexandra next to each other on one couch while Victoria and Arthur took a seat on the sofa across from them. "I'm happy to hear that you made a decision or that you're ready to make a decision."

Roman took Alexandra's hand into his and intertwined their fingers to make her feel more comfortable a gesture that made her smile. "Roman and I were discussing this last night. I could take the throne or we could leave after our wedding to reside in Italy where we were extremely happy until I received a missive of your unfortunate bad health. Roman and I would like to live a life as normal as we possibly can. I know that as a Princess a life of normalcy is highly unlikely but we would like to try. If I take the throne we have a few things we would like to do regardless of my title as Queen we would love to continue to live the way we would if I wouldn't take the throne. I understand I will have an obligation to rule over England but we want to live our lives normally. We want to be able to travel twice a year to wherever we wish to go. I have never had the opportunity to see the world. I have only known England and the castle walls. I want to be able to go out, leave England and enjoy the other parts of the world. I know it's asking a lot as a potential Queen but that's what we want to do."

"As the Queen of England you will be able to live your life the way you wish. The way your mother and I chose to live ours may be completely different to the way you and Roman choose to live yours. As long as your know your obligation as Queen I don't see why traveling twice a year would be unreasonable as long as you're happy that is all that matters."

"Along with that we want to raise our children as normally as we possibly can which means sending them to school with other children and allowing them to be friends with children outside of royalty. I want them to have a childhood much different than mine. I always depended on the servants to keep me busy and always thought of them as a friend. I never really got to enjoy a true friendship with those that I wanted to be friends with. I was never able to choose my own friends. I want something entirely different for our children. We want them to grow up differently than I did. I know that there is a lot of concern about their safety but we will hire guards to protect them just like you have done for me," said Alexandra.

"And we see where hiring a guard to protect you got us," scoffed Victoria. "You're getting married to your guard."

"Victoria," warned Arthur. "Alexandra is 10 and 8. She is capable of making her own decisions and falling in love with whomever her heart desires. Alexandra, your children are yours they are no one else's. You can choose to raise them however you wish as long as they are educated in the etiquette necessary to be a prince or princess of England. If raising them the way you wish makes you happy that's what matters," said Arthur.

"Etiquette," laughed Victoria, "And Alexandra has the etiquette it takes to be the Princess?"

"Victoria," said Arthur, "that's enough!"

"You can't ignore her indecency, Arthur. She's been to bed with a man she is not married to. She's not pure anymore it doesn't take a doctor to determine that. She ran off with a man that was supposed to protect her and he took her to his bed. She's destroyed and you have the nerve to discuss etiquette, you could have done a better job educating her in the etiquette you desire of her children which judging by the way she's putting on weight I am sure she is increasing."

"Victoria, what Alexandra chooses to do with her life is her decision. I can't control her forever," said Arthur. "Alexandra, have you reached your decision on whether you will take the throne or not?"

"Papa," said Alexandra as she looked at her aunt. She could see the fury in her face. Her breathing was heavy, she was holding back from saying something offensive to Alexandra and Arthur.

Before Alexandra could say anything Victoria interrupted her and stopped her. "Alexandra has made it clear that she is not capable of making her own decisions. You allowed her to make the decision on whom she will marry and she chooses this miscreant. She could have had any Prince or any Lord that she wishes but she chooses to marry a miscreant and not just marry him but take residence in his bed. She's disgraceful and you believe that you can take her decision seriously?" she asked.

"Roman is NOT a miscreant," debated Alexandra, "he is a good man. He is a wonderful man. You don't get to make my decisions for me just like Papa doesn't get to make my decisions for me. I am a grown woman and I have been to a man's bed yes but you don't have the authority to dictate what I choose to do with my life. I LOVE Roman! He may not be a prince or a Lord but he is my prince, he is my Lord and he is MY love for the rest of my life. He may not be rich or have everything that someone in royalty has but what he does have is something most men lack. He has a heart and he has a beautiful heart, a beautiful soul and a beautiful mind. There is not one thing in this world that he wouldn't do for me. He would do anything to see me smile, he would do anything to make me happy. Even if it means giving up a life that he loves to support me as I take the throne and become the Queen of England. Yes he was my guard but he is also the love of my life and the father of my child," she said proudly. "And I love him more than anything."

"You are increasing," she said with a shake of her head, "Arthur, is this the woman that you want to be the Queen of England? An unwed increasing Princess?"

"Alexandra will make the perfect Queen," said Arthur with a smile, "She is strong, independent, intelligent and she has a beautiful heart. She will be the perfect Queen of England."

"I think it's a mistake."

"Of course you would believe it is a mistake," said Alexandra. "Because as long as I take the throne you will never have a chance to be the Queen of England, I thought about giving you the throne, I thought about giving up this life of royalty but I don't want to. I can still do everything I love and rule over England. I would never give you the throne. I would never give it up to you and with my unborn child, Aunt Victoria, he or she is the next heir to the throne after me. You will NEVER take the throne."

"Alexandra, that's a selfish thing to say. You could live your life, you're still young yet. You and Roman have so many dreams you want to live. You have so many places you want to travel to. Why don't you do the right thing, give me the throne and you two can live out your dreams and travel to the places you want to travel to. You deserve to enjoy life with your husband not worrying about the throne and ruling over England. It isn't fair to you."

"Aunt Victoria, I have made my decision. I am going to take the throne and I am going to rule over England."

"I believe you're too young to rule over the throne. You're not mature enough to take the throne."

"With all due respect," Roman said. "I believe that Alexandra is capable of ruling over England. Like King Arthur said she is intelligent, strong and independent. Although she is 10 and 8 doesn't mean that can't be an influential Queen. Like she said her choices of what she does with her life are hers and hers alone. I allow her to make whatever decision she believes is best for her. I am here to support her and I am here to be her rock when she needs me. I take great pleasure in taking Alexandra as my wife and raising our unborn child together. You don't have to like her decisions and you don't have to like the idea of us marrying one another. It's not about you and what you want, it's about Alexandra and what she wants. She will be a wonderful Queen and most likely will be one of the best queens that ever ruled this country and I will be by her side every step of the way."

"Of course you would support her in her decision to take the throne because you are a poor gypsy boy that fell in love with a Princess. You see her for her wealth not for her."

"I only see Alexandra for her wealth? Is that what you believe? You believe that the only thing that I desire about Alexandra is her wealth?"

"All you gypsies are the same," accused Victoria.

"You're absolutely incorrect. I desire Alexandra for her intelligence, she is one of the smartest if not the smartest woman I have ever met. I love her interest in books. I love when she sits by the fire every night and reads to me. I love hearing about her dreams. I love her strong-willed personality. I desire her independence. I never thought I would be capable of loving someone that was so independent but Alexandra is different than any other woman I have met before. I want to be with her as she achieves her dreams and aspirations. I desire her beautiful smile and her contagious laughter. I love her beautiful blue eyes that remind me of the Mediterranean Sea and her beautiful strawberry blonde hair. Her beautiful and caring heart is another thing I desire. She has a beautiful soul and I could go on about how much I desire about her but the one thing I don't desire is her wealth," he said honestly making Alexandra smile, "I love her with every beat of my heart."

"My heart swells with pride," said Arthur as he stood up. "I have dreamed of the day that Alexandra would decide to take the throne. I'm not getting any better we'll have her coronation as soon as we can. Alexandra," he said, "you're going to make a wonderful Queen and I'm sure your mother will be proud of you. I love you."

"I love you too Papa," she said with a smile before she stood to give her father a hug. Arthur had nothing but pride for his only daughter. She was everything her mother would have wanted her to be and she was everything he wanted her to be. Alexandra was rare among the women around her. She enjoyed reading, she was strong and determined. She was also caring and kind-hearted. She would make the perfect Queen.

"I hope that you're happy," said Victoria after Alexandra and Roman took their leave to go on a walk through the courtyard.

"Happy that my daughter has decided to take the throne? I am ecstatic."

"I still believe it's a mistake," said Victoria. "You were too lenient with her growing up. She should have been punished more and you should have raised her to be a better woman. You're allowing her to marry some miscreant."

"I'm allowing her to marry a man that she loves, Victoria."

"She should be marrying Prince Barrett not some guard you hired to protect her."

"She should be marrying the man that has her best interest at heart. You cannot look at Roman and not see how much he loves her. He would do anything for her and you know it. She's happy with Roman."

"And she's increasing," she said, "that's unacceptable, Arthur."

"Yes she's increasing but that's beyond our control."

"How can you allow her to take the throne in that condition let alone allow her to make a mockery of the throne by traveling out of England? Her obligation is England and ruling over England nothing else should matter."

"Victoria, I am not going to be around much longer. I can either force Alexandra to marry Barrett, take the throne and live the life she is so desperate to get away from that she ran away with her guard to start a new life with him and have her hate me the rest of my life or I could allow her to be happy and live her life the way she wants to and have her around and in my life for my last few weeks of life I am going to choose the latter. All I want as I pass away is to see Alexandra happy and to see her enjoy life not live a life she doesn't want. You don't get to have a say in how I raised my daughter or the choices she makes. As long as Alexandra is happy that's all that matters not you or your opinion. That's what I want to see in my last few weeks the smile on Alexandra's face that I saw today when she talked about living a life she has always dreamed of. I won't allow anyone to take that smile from her face and if you can't accept that decision you don't need to be a part of our lives."

"Maybe I won't," she said before she stormed out of the study leaving Arthur standing in the middle of the study watching the door slam behind his sister.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Victoria's reaction to Alexandra deciding to take the throne? Were you surprised that King Arthur agreed to the stipulations Alexandra laid out? What do you think of Victoria tearing Roman and Alexandra apart? Why do you think she's so angry with the both of them? What did you think of Alexandra and Roman standing up to Victoria? What about Roman's support for Alexandra and everything he desires about her? Do you think we will see Victoria again? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

***THANK-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

 ***Thanks to the Book of Common Prayer for some reference in this chapter***

Word around the village had spread that it was the day their princess would be taken a bride. Villagers from all over gathered around the palace walls to catch a glimpse of the Princess and her new husband when they stood on the balcony of the palace before they traveled to the countryside to retire for two sennights for their honeymoon. Villagers had not worried the fact their princess was taking a commoner, a gypsy as a groom while many families of royalty and of high class pondered on why their princess had chosen a guard as her groom, why the king would allow such debauchery inside the palace walls when Alexandra had her choice of Marques, Princes and Lords. A prince would have been fit for the soon to be Queen of England not some man that used to protect their princess from harm. They did not understand the truth of love, the feelings that love gave a young girl. Many of the wealthy men and women were unhappy inside their marriages and chose to find sexual congress outside of their marital bed many men took mistresses and many women took paramours due to their unhappiness inside their marital life because often times they married for obligation and to provide heirs and heiress. Alexandra believed that an heir or heiress could be produced through love and happiness not out of obligation. She chose to marry for love not the obligation laid in front of her and her heart chose Roman even of as much of a scoundrel and rogue he had been when they became acquainted.

Roman paced the study of the palace as he fixed his overcoat. He was going to take Alexandra as his bride in less than an hour in front of her family and their closest friends. He had no idea how to be the husband of a princess or the Queen she was going to become. His nerves were shattered by the thought even though they had married in Italy. This scenario was different. They were not alone, they were not in the privacy of his residence in Italy, they were in the castle in which they would reside the rest of their lives or until Alexandra no longer wanted to be the Queen. Roman had never pictured himself in the life of royalty but he was starting to grow accustomed to it attending masquerades and balls. He and Alexandra had already received numerous invitations for tea, dinners and balls after their return from the countryside. Roman hoped to be fitting company in the high class places and do well for the spouse of a woman as beautiful and respected as Alexandra.

Roman often felt terrible that he had destroyed his wife before he took her to their marital bed and damaged her reputation by planting his seed inside her womb. Their child was growing every day inside her womb and it was more noticeable as the days went on. They were not able to hide it much longer. England would know the debauchery that occurred sennights earlier. He wished he could have saved her and taken her innocence away properly and with respect. He was rogue and he was a scoundrel the night she appeared at his residence. He was hurt, upset that the woman he loved was promised to another man in marriage. He had to do something to procure her to his bed the rest of his life. He knew he did wrong because regardless of what took place at his residence Alexandra would have been his. Her heart was his the moment she appeared at his home but she had taken his heart the first moment he had seen her. He tried to fight it, he tried to deny it but the truth was she stole his heart at first glimpse. Roman's thoughts were interrupted by the knock at the door. "Come in," he called out.

The doorknob turned and King Arthur made his way into the study. "Roman," he said softly. "Do you have time for a word?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said with a bow.

Arthur shut the door behind him and made his way over to the settee in the study. Roman walked over to pour himself a glass of Brandy to calm his nerves. He offered the king a drink and he declined as he took a seat on the settee. "Roman, I wanted to have discussion with you about Alexandra."

"Of course," replied Roman as he threw back the contents inside the glass. He took a seat next to the King on the settee.

"It pleases me so to see Alexandra as happy and joyful as she is with you. You have done well for her. I am happy that she was able to find a man that can make her happy and that loves her as much and as well as you do. It pleases me and fills me with great joy that you two have already produced an heir to the throne and that Alexandra is with child. I wish it would have waited until you had taken her to your marital bed but a child is a blessing in every sense of the word. I know that you and Alexandra will make wonderful parents. I wish to be around by the time Alexandra brings my grandchild into the world but if I am not I wish you two the best and wish you well. I know that the baby will make Alexandra very happy as it will you. Alexandra is my heart and my soul. It has been Alexandra and I since the passing of her mother. I see Sophia inside of her every day. You have no idea how lucky of a man you are to take Alexandra as a wife. She is as wonderful as her mother but as obstinate and stubborn as her mother. She is strong-willed and independent in every sense of the word. It makes me happy to see that you support her and that you will continue to allow her to enjoy her independence and freedom she desires. You're good for her, Roman. I could not have chosen a spouse for my daughter as wonderful as you and as greatly as her heart has done. I see the way you look at her and I see the way she looks at you. The look she has in her eyes when she speaks of you and she's with you is the same look that her mother gave me so many years ago. I was happy with her mother. There was never one quite like her which is why I chose to live the rest of my life without her. Sophia could not be replaced she was beautiful and caring much like Alexandra is. She left this world in an untimely death and I miss her every day. Alexandra is much like her mother in so many ways. It pains me to give her away but I know you have her best interest at heart and I'm joyed to give my daughter to a man as wonderful as you. I want you to promise me you will keep Alexandra happy and that you will love her the rest of your days."

"I promise," said Roman with a nod. "There will never be a day when my goal is not to make Alexandra happy and to love her like she has never been loved before. I will do everything in my power to protect her. Thank-you for allowing me to take your daughter as my wife, she is one of kind. I have never met a woman quite like her except my beloved Adelia. I spent much of my life looking in all the wrong places for a woman to replace Adelia and I never found her. I ceased searching and I met Alexandra. I have never met a more beautiful soul. I will love her to the day that I die and even beyond the grave," he promised.

"I know, Roman," he said placing his hand on his shoulder. "As she will love you till the day you die and beyond the grave. I'm proud to welcome you to our family," he said with a soft squeeze.

"Thank-you," said Roman with a soft smile with those simple words his nerves were easily calmed and he was ready to face his bride at their wedding ceremony in the palace's ballroom.

Alexandra stood looking at herself in the mirror as her abigail helped to dress her in her white wedding dress. Her corset was pulled tight holding back the small bump forming from her womb but there was nothing to be done with the swelling breasts tumbling over the top of the corset. Alexandra could barely breathe but she was not ready for England to know that she was with child. She and Roman were going to wait till they returned from their honeymoon in the countryside to tell the world of her pregnancy. She thanked her abigail as she pulled the dress over her chest. Alexandra smiled at the sight in front of her. She had always dreamed of having a wedding in a beautiful white dress such as the one she was wearing even though it was a bit out of the ordinary for a princess to wear as she became a wife. She placed her hand over her growing stomach and rubbed it gently. She was filled with joy to be increasing and providing Roman with their first child. She knew their secret couldn't be hidden much longer and it was getting harder and harder to hide on a daily basis. A knock came on her bedroom door. "Yes," she called out.

"May I come in?" her father's voice called out.

"Yes, Father," she said with a smile as she stepped away from the mirror as the doorknob to her bedchamber turned.

The King walked in with a slow stride. He stumbled on his steps as he saw his baby girl standing in her white dress. He knew she was 10 and 8, the perfect age to become a wife but he didn't realize she had become such a beautiful young woman so quickly. "Alexandra," he said with tears filling his blue eyes. "You look beautiful."

"Thank-you," she said with a soft smile as she greeted him with a soft hug and a kiss on the cheek. The king was taken back by how much Alexandra looked like Sophia in her wedding gown. It was like seeing Sophia all over again the day that they had married so many years before and it also reminded him that his time with his beautiful wife and Alexandra's time with her mother was cut short due to a mysterious illness that claimed her life. "Father," she said softly touching his elbow, "are you okay?"

"You're just so beautiful, Alexandra, you remind me of your mother on the day I took her as my wife. Your likeness to her is breathtaking," he said with tears in his eyes. "She would be so proud to see the woman you have become today and she would have been proud to see you chose a man that has your best interest at heart and will love you for an eternity just as I am proud of you. It has been you and I for the last 15 years, Alexandra. It's hard for me to give you away today but I know the man I'm giving you to, is the best man for you. My only wish for you was that you were happy and that you were loved. You're both. I love you, Alexandra Catherine," he said softly as tears rolled down his cheek.

"I love you too father," said Alexandra as tears formed in her eyes as she reached up and wiped his tears away. "Thank-you for allowing me the choice of my husband and allowing me to marry the man that I love and not a man that was an obligation, you trusted me with my choice and I know that you were not happy at first but thank-you for allowing me the freedom to find the man that will make me happy the rest of my life and will love me like no one ever has. I'm happy with him, Father. I'm happy to be his wife and to bear his children. I wish for you to be here for the birth of your grandchild. Promise me, Father."

"I'll do my best, Alexandra but I am not well. I do not have much time but do not worry of me. Worry of your future and your happiness you have found in Roman. He will take care of you and I know you will take care of him. I'm proud of you, Alexandra and I know that you're going to be the best Queen England has ever seen and you're going to be the best wife and mother known to man. I have always wished your happiness and I'm glad that you have found it. I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too," she said hugging her father tight as he embraced her. He kissed the crown of her head and held her for a few moments more. "I think it's time for me to marry Roman again," she said softly.

"Yes," he said with a smile. "It's time." They broke their embrace and Arthur offered his arm to his daughter and escorted her to the ballroom.

The ballroom was filled with Alexandra's family and some of King Arthur's closest friends. Her Aunt Victoria was not in attendance but Victoria's children were. Victoria was against the marriage and she objected to the marriage. She even signed the bans stating that she objected as well as Prince Barrett neither wanted to see her married off to Roman. Roman stood with the priest at the head of the ballroom waiting to see his bride. The ballroom filled with gasps and awes as Alexandra appeared. Roman's grey eyes met Alexandra's sapphire blue eyes. He raked her from head to toe. She was stunningly beautiful dressed in a sheer white dress, with a lace bodice and the sleeves puffed at the elbow. Her corset visible through the lace, the dress was made from ultra-sheer cotton lawn. Tears filled Roman's eyes as Alexandra made her way toward him. The dress below the lace was embroidered by hand with floral designs at the bottom of the skirt. Alexandra's strawberry blonde hair pulled into a low bun, she held a bouquet of lilies in her hands as she walked down the aisle with her father on her arm. Roman had never seen anything more beautiful, anything as perfect as Alexandra. Her breasts were full and heavy toppling over slightly in her corset. Alexandra and her father joined Roman at the alter in the presence of the priest in front of their family and friends.

The priest began the ceremony by reading from the Book of Common Prayer. "Dearly Beloved friends we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of his congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony which is an honorable state instituted of God in Paradise." The priest talked about Cana in Galilee and discusses Saint Paul. He discussed that marriage is not something to be taken lightly or wantonly to satisfy lusts and appetites like brute beasts that do not understand the fear of God. "Duely considering the causes for which matrimony was ordained. One was the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord and Praise of God. Secondly it was a remedy against sin and to avoid fornication that such persons have not gifts of continence might marry and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body. Thirdly for mutual society, help and comfort that the one ought to have the other in both prosperity and adversity. If any man can see just cause why these two may not be joined together lawfully in matrimony speak now," he addressed the congregation. No one spoke up and the priest asked Roman and Alexandra if either of them had reason as to why they should not be joined in matrimony they should confess it now. There was no reason so he continued through the ceremony. Roman could not take his eyes off of Alexandra. "Roman will thou have this woman to thy wedded wife to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health? And forsaking all others, keep only to her, so long as you both shall live?"

"I will," said Roman with a soft smile.

"Alexandra, will thou have this man to thy wedded husband to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of holy Matrimony? Will thou obey him and serve him, love, honor and keep him in sickness and in health? Forsaking all others keep only to him so long as ye both shall live?"

"I shall," answered Alexandra.

"Who giveth this woman to be married unto this man?"

"I do," said King Arthur with a soft smile as he placed Alexandra's right hand into Roman's and took his seat with his family to watch his daughter become the wife of the man she loved.

"Roman, please giveth your truth to Alexandra," said the Priest.

"I Roman take Alexandra to my wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer in sickness and in health to love and to cherish till death do us part according to God's holy ordinance and thereto I plight the my truth," he said.

"Alexandra," he said.

"I Alexandra take Roman to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and obey till death do us part according to God's holy ordinance and thereto I plight my truth," she said softly with tears burning her eyes.

The priest handed Roman the ring to bind them together the rest of their lives. Roman slipped the ring onto Alexandra's 4th left finger and repeated after the priest. "With this ring I the wed; with my body I worship and with all my worldly goods, I the endow. In the name of the Father, and the son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

"O Eternal God, creature and preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace the author of everlasting life send thy blessing upon these thy servants this man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name, that as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together; so these persons may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant between them made, where of this ring given and received is a token and pledge and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together and live according unto the laws and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." He joined their hands together and said, "Those whom God has joined together, let no man put a sonder." He looked out to the congregation and said, "For as much as Roman and Alexandra have consented together in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before God and this company and there to have given and pledged their truth to the other and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring and by joining hands I pronounce that they be man and wife together in the name of the father, son and holy Ghost amen," he said before he read a few verses and as simply as that Roman and Alexandra had publicly married in front of close friends and family saving their first kiss with one another to be done privately after they had been dismissed.

"Are you ready?" asked Alexandra softly as she and Roman stood just inside the balcony door. "Once we step out onto that balcony all of England will know you as the husband of the Princess of England. There is no going back."

"I would shout it from the rooftop," he said making her smile as he wrapped her up in a soft embrace. "I would not trade a day or give a day away to be anything else. I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too," she said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and offered him her mouth. He sealed his lips over hers and kissed her deeply breaking the kiss as they opened the balcony doors. Roman and Alexandra linked hands, intertwining their fingers tightly and stepped out onto the balcony. Below them villagers gathered, cheering and hollering for them as they held their joint hands up in the air to show them they had been joined in holy matrimony. Roman turned Alexandra to face him and once again sealed his lips over hers, kissing her soft and deep so that all of England would know the love he held inside of his heart and body for his beautiful wife; the Princess of England.

 ***A/N: What did you think of ARthur's moment with Roman and his moment with Alexandra? Why do you think the villagers are so supportive of Roman and Alexandra while the Royal and Wealthy families are not? What do you think of Alexandra still hiding her pregnancy from England? What did you think of their wedding ceremony? What about Roman displaying his love for his wife? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	18. Chapter 18

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"Hello, Love," said Roman as Alexandra walked into their countryside bedroom on their honeymoon as he was sitting in bed in just his breeches. His powerful chest exposed showing every hard earned muscle of his body. Alexandra gave him a smile as she walked over to the bed holding papers in her hands dressed in her white dressing gown.

"Hello, Handsome," she replied with a soft smile as she climbed into bed next to him. They had been enjoying their time in the countryside the later part of the day was spent adventuring the countryside, walking through gardens and enjoying a nice coach ride through the countryside and the nights had been spent with passionate loving making and the early mornings were spent catching up on the sleep they had missed the night before.

"What are you doing?" He asked eying the papers in her hand. "What do you have there?"

"These," she said holding up the papers, "are family royal names that we can choose from to name our child," she said placing her hand on her growing stomach.

"A list of names?"

"Yes. Our family has a list of names fit for a little princess or prince," she said with a smile. "We like to carry on our family names."

"We don't get to choose our own name for our child?" he asked with disappointment.

"We get to choose our own name for our child but it has to come from the family list," she said. "I know there are tons of baby names out there but I'm already being an unconventional queen I would like to keep the family legacy alive are you all right with that?"

"If that's what you wish," he said softly with a smile as he took the papers from her. "I don't care what our child is named as long as it's healthy." He looked over the list and began with the girl names. "Adelaide, Princess Adelaide I like the name Adelaide and Princess Adelaide has a beautiful ring to it," he said softly with a smile making Alexandra smile as they looked over the names.

"I do like Adelaide but I also like Alice, Princess Alice. I would wish to name our daughter after my mother in some way. Princess Adelaide Sophia Alexandra sounds like a beautiful name, what do you think? I am also favoring the names Charlotte and Isabella what do you like the best?"

"I'm not sold on Alice. I just don't like the name Alice. Charlotte Sophia Alexandra or Isabella Sophia Alexandra," he pondered. "I would say that Victoria is out of the possible names?" he asked with amusement.

"Yes," she said wrapping her slender arm around his waist. "There are far too many Victoria's in the Royal family as it is. I wouldn't name her after that vile woman anyway," she said with a smile as she rubbed his back softly. "What name do you like best?"

"If you're assuming it is a girl or our little princess I would say I am quite fond of Princess Adelaide Sophia Alexandra," he said with a smile. "I love the way it just rolls off the tongue. Also she could be Princess Addy but you assume our issue is a female, why so certain?"

"Is it me that is so certain our issue is a female? T'was you that chose to look over female names first instead of the male names."

"You're correct," he said with a smile. "Maybe I am wishing for a princess opposed to a prince. If our princess is as beautiful as her mother it will be a blessing."

"You wish for a Princess?" she smiled as her heart filled with joy.

"Since the day you told me you were increasing my thoughts have been of a beautiful little princess and have dreamed that you birth a baby girl."

"What does our princess look like in your dreams?"

"She's as beautiful as you, beautiful soft pink lips, olive skin, she has my dark hair and your beautiful blue eyes and your small little nose. She is perfection in my dreams; the way I dream her she is an Adelaide," he answered with a smile. Alexandra never knew of a man to wish for a daughter. Most males she had known wished for a son to carry on their father's legacy, a son to take after them never a female child. Alexandra knew that males were favored over females but it filled her with joy to hear her husband speak of his dreams and his wishes for a little girl.

"She sounds beautiful," she said as he placed his hand over her small stomach making her smile. "What if I wish for a little prince to look like his father that could capture my heart the same as you?"

"A son would be just as grand as a daughter," he said softly as he rubbed her stomach. "But my wish is for a little girl. I assume that our son would be named after your father?"

"After his grandfather, great-grandfather and his father," she answered. "I would not exclude you from our son's name."

"If our issue is male when it is born you do not have to name him after me, keep his name in the family we will have plenty more issue to name after me."

"If you wish," she replied as she placed her hand over his.

"What would our Prince's name be?" He questioned.

"Prince Arthur Henry James," she answered, "if we're not putting Roman in there."

"I love it," he said with a smile, "very fitting for a prince and future King."

"I'm glad that you approve," she said softly. "But do you want to know what I believe?"

"Yes?"

"I believe we're having a little Princess," she said with a smile as they rubbed her stomach together.

"That pleases me to hear," he said softly before he kissed her forehead softly, "but something troubles you what is it, Love?" he asked with concern.

"Nothing," she said biting her lip.

"I know you better than that, Alexandra something is troubling you. Are you ready to return home because I thought we were having fun?"

"I am having fun. I love the countryside. I love being out here but I've been thinking about what happens after I become Queen of England. What if I don't want to live in the palace what if I want to have a home of our own in the countryside?"

"You don't wish to live in the palace?" he asked.

"No, Roman I want our issue to grow up as normal as possible and living in a palace is not the place for normalcy. I want something smaller, to feel closer but I will need guards to protect us not only me anymore but you too and our issue. We can't possibly house guards in a countryside home but I have loved being out here and have enjoyed our time together. I'm not sure living in the palace is what I want to do."

"Living in the palace will be wonderful. You have been there your whole life."

"That's the problem I have been there my whole life and have been closely guarded and secluded from the outside world. You know I don't want that for our issue but because of who I am I don't have much of a choice. I would love to have a home of our own outside of the palace."

"Why would you not want to live in the palace? Our issue will have large living quarters, and your library is there I know how much your library means to you," he said, "and I plan to have many issue with you."

"How many issue do you wish to have?"

"Enough to fill the whole palace, we can make the palace into our own the guards don't have to hang around while we are in the privacy of the palace we can still have a normal life yet still be guarded. Your safety and the safety of our issue is my number one priority the safest place for us will be inside the palace behind the palace gates this way I am certain no outsiders will enter into our home unannounced."

"You wish for a lot from me," she said with a smile, "maybe I only want 3 or 4 issue hardly enough to fill the walls of the palace."

"Whatever you wish Alexandra," he said, "but I feel we are safer inside of the palace. We could make our lives normal and we won't be secluded from the world. We'll be out there for all of England to see and interacting with the people of England."

"I like that idea," she said, "too bad you're not able to be a Prince or a King you would make a good one."

"Ah but you will make a much better Queen than I a King or a prince. You're intelligent, beautiful and kind-hearted marrying you I became the luckiest man alive. I anxiously wait to see the good you bring to England and I will be by your side the whole time. I don't need a title."

"You're so sweet," she said with a smile before she reached up and kissed his cheek. She took his hand into hers and linked their fingers together. "I used to read about a love as great as ours, I always wished and hoped for a lover like you to come to me. I never wished for a knight in shining armor or wished for a rake to come into my life just a man that had the same soul as me. Someone that would love me for me, respect me as a woman and support me in all of my ventures. I know it's not easy to love a woman as independent as me but you still do and you support me like that. I never thought a love like the stories I read in my book existed until you came into my life. The moment I first saw you I knew, Roman. I knew you were going to change my life. I didn't want to admit it but I knew that moment I first saw you my life was about to change. I tried to fight it for so long but I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you and loving you. The more you worked to take me to bed the more I fell for you as foolish as it may sound but your rakish charm was appealing to me and it made my heart swell for you. The first time you kissed me it was signed and done. You had my heart and there was no way I was going to take it away from you," she said with a soft smile. "It's like I searched for you my whole life and you came to me in an unexpected way. I love you, Baby."

"I love you too," he said softly. "I knew the moment I first saw you that you were going to change my life as well. I tried to deny it but I couldn't deny it. I couldn't fight my feelings for you. I was more determined to get you in my bed I was even more determined to make you my wife. I was determined to start a life with you, make you mine give you my heart even though I knew you had my heart the moment I first kissed you and you let me in. I never thought I would be able to love again after Adelia but you proved to me that I could love again and I do love you so, you're the dearest and most prized possession in my life and I would not change it for the world. I am beyond ecstatic that you and I have created life together. And I would die protecting you and our issue."

"Let's hope it never comes to that," she said softly. "I would be lost without you, without you I would have no reason to live. I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything; maybe we're from the same star. I love you, Roman and I am going to be the best wife to you that I can be and I'll be the best mother to our issue. You will always come first to me before the throne or ruling over England," she said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile before he captured her lips with his and kissed her softly and passionately as his hand kneading at her breasts. "Your breasts have grown since you began increasing," he said before kissing her again.

"You're incorrigible, Roman," she said with a smile against his lips before she pulled him on top of her as she kissed him back passionately, sealing their forever love.

"That should have been me," said Barrett as he slammed his empty glass on the table after downing the liquor inside of it. "How does a guard get to marry the Princess of England and not only JUST a princess but the soon to be Queen of England, how does a guard have that right?" he asked.

"It is her father," said Victoria, "he has been encouraging Alexandra since she was young to make her own choices. He allowed her to read those books, those stories about love that gave her this big picture of a love that doesn't exist. She believed she could find the love like the one she read in those books. She fell in love with some miscreant that she believes truly loves her. I am not convinced. He is a rake and a gypsy. He has no place behind the palace walls."

"Or to share a bed with the Queen," grumbled Barrett, "and to produce lot with her. Their children will be miscreants."

"She should not allowed to be Queen. She is a disgrace to the Royal family she is already increasing with their issue."

"Is that so?" he asked tightening his grip his glass. "She's increasing?"

"Very much so," said Victoria. "That little bastard took my place in line. She is proud to be carrying a bastard."

"Disgraceful," said Barrett, "is that why she chose to wed him?"

"She believes she loves him. She is 10 and 8 she doesn't know that a love like the ones she reads about doesn't exist. She is naïve and has destroyed herself. She's not a pure and chaste princess or Queen for that matter. I want the throne and you want, Alexandra we can work together to get what we want."

"I'm listening," he said, "What is it that you want?"

"I want the throne. I want to be the Queen of England," she said. "And the only way to get the throne is to do away with Alexandra and that bastard she's carrying but her husband will never allow me to harm her. We need to find a way to get rid of him and then get rid of Alexandra."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Yes," she said with a sly smile. "We're going to kill Roman and then you're going to run away with Alexandra and the bastard child she carries never to be seen again. With Alexandra out of the picture it will be me that takes the throne. You get what you want and I get what I want but the only thing in our way is Roman," she said cynically.

"And just how do you plan to get rid of Roman?"

"The same way I killed her mother," said Victoria causing Barrett to gasp.

"You're responsible for Queen Sophia's death?" his mouth stayed open in a gaping hole.

"Shut your mouth, Prince Barrett, I needed to ensure my brother would not produce anymore lot with Sophia and the only way to do so was to ensure she became ill and later died from an illness. I was to rid of Alexandra a long time ago but King Arthur kept her hidden away from the world. I never got my chance but now," she said, "I have my chance. I'll be rid of her miscreant husband and you will take Alexandra to your kingdom, marry her and raise her bastard child as your own as YOU rule over your kingdom. Do we have a deal?" she asked.

"Deal," he said before shaking her hand.

 ***A/N: What do you think of the names Roman and Alexandra picked out for their child? Do you like how Alexandra honored her mother and father? What did you think when Roman told her he dreamed of their child? Do you think Roman will make a great father? What do you think of Alexandra not wanting to living in the palace, do you think they should live in their own home in the countryside? Why do you think it is so important for Roman to live in the palace with Alexandra and their issue? Do you think Alexandra would ever allow something to happen to Roman and vice versa? What do you think of Victoria devising a plan with Prince Barrett to get what they want? Were you surprised that Victoria was responsible for Queen Sophia's death? Do you think she could have a hand in King Arthur's illness as well? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.***

"Have you heard the news, Your Royal Highness?" asked Prince Barrett as they sat in the study of Victoria's palace having tea with his father.

"That the gypsy will be given a title when they return home from their honeymoon?" she asked taking a sip of tea before tapping her finger on the table. "It's the most ridiculous thing I have heard, complete rubbish and nonsense. How does a gypsy man come from nothing to receiving a title from the King and marrying a princess? And England just accepts this commoner in the courts and accepts this man as their future Queen's husband?"

"I never saw anything like this in my life," said King Thomas; Wade's father. "We had a deal, we had an agreement with King Arthur. He broke our agreement when he allowed his daughter to marry this peasant. He betrayed my country. He betrayed my son."

"I am aware of Arthur's questionable judgment. He has let that child run wild for years since her mother's death. He allowed her to make the decisions regarding her life and in this life there is no such thing as love, no marriage based on love but based on alliances. Marriages are treaties between countries to make them better. Arthur should have never allowed her to take a suitor nor allowed her to run off and marry this gypsy man."

"Are you for certain he is a gypsy?" asked Thomas.

"I'm very certain. I have done my research on this man. He is from Romania, his father and his mother were gypsies. His father spent his time working in stables and taking care of nobles. He sold his sister off to be married and Roman was just a young boy when his mother passed away. Roman fled to Italy where he destroyed a young Italian girl and ran off to marry her and she later died in a carriage accident," said Victoria. "Then Roman comes to be a guard for my niece and destroys her virtue and my brother believes this is all well. That the nobles and the people of England should just accept this man; he has blinded the people. They know nothing of this man. I knew this marriage situation would be trouble when my brother did not make an alliance to marry her off to a prince when she was younger. She should have been engaged at the age of 6 to some Duke or Dauphin much like her Great Great Great Grandmother Queen Mary of Scots. My brother should have taken control of the reigns in her life and forced her to marry by making an alliance while she was younger now this is the trouble he caused us, the trouble he has caused England. If the nobles found out our princess married a Gypsy boy they will revolt against her. The entire country would revolt against this marriage and her alliance with Roman. Gypsies are known thieves and known tricksters yet there's one living in the palace, married to the next Queen of England and providing our country heirs. What will the nobles say when they find out that the next heir to the throne has gypsy blood in them? There's no way that a gypsy can take the throne of England, they won't allow it. It will be like Elizabeth when they legitimized her, made her the Queen of England even though she was a Protestant and one of Henry's bastards. The nobles will not allow this, they cannot. Alexandra is not ready to become Queen of England and when the nobles discover the truth of her new husband they will want his head and hers for this act of treason."

"Treason against the English, they will have her head on a spike," said Thomas.

"I don't want my niece to take the throne and Barrett and I have derived a plan to take care of this situation to stop this from occurring. We need to get rid of Roman first, he will stand in our way. He will stop at nothing to protect his wife, he is very determined with her safety."

"My country is willing to declare war on England for King Arthur breaking our alliance to have Alexandra and Barrett wed. He would rule over our country and she would rule over hers, they were to rule together, England was supposed to help our country now my nobles and countrymen are ready to go to war over this."

"We don't want a war with your country," said Victoria. "Please hold off your countrymen. Ensure them that there will be justice for your country. I will speak to my brother about aiding your country since he made the rash decision to marry his daughter off to this Gypsy."

"There has to be an easier way for us to take over England," says Barrett, "an easier way to get Alexandra as my wife."

"What do you suggest?" questioned Victoria.

"You said it yourself, if the nobles discover the truth of Alexandra and her husband being a gypsy which is severely frowned upon in the country because of the reputation they hold the nobles will not allow her to take the throne."

"Barrett, allowing the nobles to find out about Roman being a gypsy will cause a rift in the country, it will cause unrest and the nobles as well as the villagers will revolt against Alexandra and Roman. Alexandra will lose her head most likely if she is found guilty of treason. It's a risk," said Thomas.

"Someone that engages in treachery doesn't deserve the throne," said Victoria. "I say that before or during her coronation we inform the nobles and all of England what their new Queen's husband truly is."

"This could cause your own country a war within itself," said Thomas, "let's be reasonable. Is this what you want for your country?"

"What I want for my country," snapped Victoria, "is for them to have a ruler that will make a difference, one that is not treacherous and one that believes in marrying for power, wealth and to make our country better. Alexandra is too young to take the throne."

"Informing the nobles and the villagers of Roman's status in society and where he came from, what he is could cost your niece her life, are you willing to have your niece lose her life because of your jealousy, Alexandra could revolt against you as could King Arthur. Is that what you wish to happen? Do you wish for them to revolt against you maybe cost you your life? I understand your purpose and why you want to cause Alexandra the throne but this could fire back at you and you could end up with YOUR head on a spike. Then you did all of this for what?"

"Whether I die in my efforts or not does not matter, what matters to me is Alexandra is not allowed to take the throne and the people revolt against her for her choice of marriage. Then with luck my brother will die, I will be gone and my daughter Victoria will rule over England and let us not mention that Alexandra was with child before she married Roman."

"Alexandra was with child?" asked Thomas, "this could benefit you surely." He rubbed his hands together and said, "A revolt could occur just because of Alexandra's impurity. Your country will not allow a destroyed princess to become a Queen is there a way that we can prove that she was with child before her marriage?"

"It's obvious," said Victoria. "You can see she barely fits into her gowns anymore and at the time of her wedding it was noticeable in her dress."

"This is absurd," said Barrett, "Alexandra and Roman eloped sennights ago. They were married before they married for England. When she returned from Italy she was already betrothed and wed to Roman. King Arthur didn't have a choice but to accept the marriage. He had to allow it to happen because a divorced Queen would look bad in the eyes of the people. The night she was promised to me as my wife she ran away and married Roman. She could have conceived on their time away after she was married to him. There's no way to prove it. The only thing we can do is use Roman's heritage and his past against her, get her kicked out of the line of succession and if it's too late and she becomes Queen then to be dethroned. I heard King Arthur is not doing well since Alexandra and Roman left for their honeymoon. His days are numbered. WE need to begin this revolt as soon as possible," encouraged Barrett.

"Let's make a plan," said Thomas with a sly smile. "When we get through with Roman Alexandra will no longer be an acceptable Queen but if you take the throne Victoria we will make a deal."

"Deal," she said with a smile before she shook his hand.

"Papa!" yelled out Alexandra as she and Roman ran through the castle halls to her father's bedchamber. As soon as they had arrived back into London after spending weeks in the countryside they had received word that her father was not doing well and his days were numbered. He wasn't expected to live much more than two days. Alexandra's heart was broken, she was not ready to lose her father, not ready to live without him. Roman followed closely behind is wife as she hurried down the hall. "Papa!" she called out again before she reached his bedchamber.

The guard standing outside his chambers allowed her to enter into the King's room. "Your Majesty, Princess Alexandra," he said with a bow before he took his leave as Alexandra and Roman made their way over to his bed.

"Papa," she said with tears in her eyes as she saw her father lying in his bed; he was so fragile and weak. He was mere minutes away from death as if he was holding on, waiting for her to return. She rushed to his side and took his hand before giving him a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Alexandra," he said weakly but managed a small smile. "How was your honeymoon?"

"Relaxing," she said running her hands through his white hair. "But I'm home now. We're home now," she said.

"I'm glad," he said with a soft smile. "Roman," he said weakly.

"Your Majesty," he nodded with a bow.

King Arthur went into a coughing fit when he could not catch his breath causing Alexandra's heart to break further and cause her eyes to blur over with tears. She was broken seeing her father so weak. He once was so strong. He was once the most powerful man she had ever known but looking at him, so fragile and weak ripped her apart she knew the time was close. "I love you, Papa," she cried. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Alexandra," he said as he squeezed her hand. "Don't cry for me, Baby. Please don't cry for me. When I leave this Earth I am going to be in a better place, I'm going to be with your mother."

"But I don't want you to go, Papa. You can't leave me yet. I'm not ready for you to leave me."

"I'm not ready to leave you either but Alexandra the time is here, the time is coming. I have but a few breaths inside of me. I don't have much time."

"Papa," she choked on her words, "Please don't leave me. What about your grandchildren? Don't you want to be around to see Princess Adelaide or Prince Arthur?"

"You two picked out lovely names for my grandchildren. I am sure you and Roman will be wonderful parents. I wish I could be here but I don't have much time, Alexandra. I'm sorry."

"Papa," she cried as she kissed his bony hand as Roman rubbed her back. "Please stay don't leave me."

"Alexandra, I'm sorry you're going to take your place as Queen and you're going to do a wonderful job as Queen and you're going to raise your children to be wonderful rulers someday. I am so proud of you, Alexandra. I love you so much. You have been my entire life for the last 15 years, since the day you were born my life has been better, had more meaning. I have done my best for you, I have done my best to raise you to be a kind-hearted and caring person. You're going to do great things for England, you're going to break down walls and make a difference in this country. I know you will. Your mum would have been so proud of you just like I am. You have grown up to be a very beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. I could not have asked for a better daughter than the one that has been bestowed upon me. I love you, Alexandra and I know that when your child comes into this world you will share with them our family's legacy, raise them to be as wonderful as you. I love you."

"I love you too, Papa," she said with tears streaming down her face, choking on the sobs as her father was slipping away in front of her. "I don't want you to hurt anymore. I will make you even prouder when I take the throne and I will make a difference for you, Papa."

"I know you will," he said weakly squeezing her hand. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. He was cold as ice and the color from his face was draining. "Roman," said Arthur. "I need a word with you."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said softly. "I'm listening."

"You have been so wonderful to my daughter in our world we very rarely marry for love it is always about power, alliances and treaties. I never wanted that for my daughter she deserves more than a man that wants to marry her for her wealth or to aide their country. She deserves better, she deserves a man that looks at her like you do, a man that loves her the way you do and a man that will stop at nothing to protect her and love her like you do. I'm glad that she found you and I'm glad that since you have been in her life she has been happier. You love her like the world is going to end tomorrow and love her like you have never loved before. I don't care who you are or what was in your past my daughter is happy and loved. That means more to me than anything else in this world. I want you to promise you'll take care of her, that you'll continue to love her and keep her happy never let anything or anyone tear you two apart. Promise me, I know my sister Victoria is ruthless, I know she will stop at nothing to take the throne away from Alexandra even if it means destroying you two in the process. Do not let her win, do not let her seek victory in your destruction. Stay strong I'm sure she's plotting a backlash now but do not let her win, you two are stronger than that. Love can withstand any test and anything that tries to destroy it. Promise me you will continue to love and take care of my daughter the rest of your lives and you'll continue to make her happy."

"I promise, I will always love her and I will always make her happy," he promised her father. "She's in good hands. As much as I know Alexandra is capable of taking care of herself I will always be here to take care of her, here to keep her happy and to give her the love she deserves. I will love her till the day I die and even beyond that day. I will love her for an eternity. I promise."

"I know you will," said King Arthur. "I want to give you a title so that you can become a Prince when Alexandra takes the throne. I want to give you a title would you allow me to give you a title?"

"Papa," said Alexandra with a smile, "you're going to give him a title?"

"Yes, Alexandra," he said with a weak smile. "You're married to the Duke of Kensington; Roman Reigns. Welcome to the court, My Lord," he said catching his breath.

"Thank-you, Your Majesty," said Roman with a smile of pride he had never dreamt of holding a title in England, he never imagined himself marrying a princess, being married to a queen and producing heirs that would carry on the legacy of Alexandra's family but it wasn't about that for him, it was about how Alexandra captured his heart, how she made him want to live again and how she gave him happiness in the darkness of his life. That's what mattered to him and as long as he had her he didn't need anything. The same went for Alexandra, she would give up the throne in minutes if it came between her and Roman. She didn't need to be Queen of England, she was Roman's queen, he had her heart and he loved her for who she was not what she had, he was the love she had read about and always dreamed about. Nothing else mattered to the two as long as they had one another nothing in the world mattered to them. They had their own happiness in each other not in power and wealth.

"I love you, Papa," said Alexandra with a smile before she leaned down and gave him another soft kiss on the cheek.

"I… Love... You…. Too.," he said trying to catch his breath and before he could catch another breath he was gone.

"PAPA!" cried Alexandra through her sobs. "PAPA!" she cried.

"Alexandra," said Roman comforting her as she fought to get away from him. "He's gone," he said as she fell to her knees and heavy sobs escaped from her chest. He sank to his knees beside her, wrapped her up in his arms, holding her as she cried on his shoulder.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Victoria and Barrett including his father in on their plan to remove Alexandra from the line of succession? What do you think will happen if the people find out the truth about Roman's ancestry and where he came from? And they find out he is a gypsy and the new heir to the throne has gypsy blood in them? Do you think this could cause a revolt in England against Alexandra? Could this cost her the throne even her head or could this backlash onto Victoria? Why is Victoria so willing to risk her life so that Alexandra doesn't rule? What did you think of King Arthur giving Roman a title so that he could be a prince as Alexandra becomes Queen? What about him having Roman promise that he will take care of Alexandra? Do you believe that the love Alexandra and Roman share mean more to them than any bit of power they possess? What did you think of how her father passed away? What happens now? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"Long live the king!" and "All Hail King Arthur!" were the phrases of the English people as they mourned the death of their monarch. They were the same words spoken as Alexandra and Roman walked out of Arthur's bedchambers shortly after he passed away. The English people praised their monarch but their eyes were turned toward Alexandra and Victoria. They were at unrest not sure which would be taking the throne of England now that Arthur had passed away. Victoria seemed to be the likeliest of choices to become the regent Queen of England until Alexandra was older, wiser and more mature but many of the English people believed she was ready to take the throne. Alexandra barely had time to mourn her father's death before she was asked if she was taking the throne. She had kept herself hidden from the English people inside the castle until her father's funeral and burial. It was the first time they had seen the princess and her husband, the Duke of Kensington since the monarch's death. Shortly after the funeral was over and her father was buried Alexandra and Roman returned back to their castle, hidden away while Alexandra mourned the loss of her father. She had taken it harder than anyone had expected and began to have doubts of taking the throne so soon after his death.

"How are you today, Love?" asked Roman as he climbed into bed next to his wife. She had been fully dressed for the day in one of her black and gold gowns, her hair fixed into a bun on the crown of her head. "I brought you some food if you would like to eat," he said kissing her temple as she held onto her pillow.

"Tired," she said, "and I'm not hungry."

"Darling, you need to eat something. You have barely eaten since your father's funeral. You need to eat something for the baby."

"I'm just not hungry right now. I will eat later," she said turning to face him, her deep blue eyes filled with sadness and pain. She wrapped her arm around his waist as he wrapped his arm around her. "I miss him terribly."

"I know you do," he said kissing her forehead. "You loved him greatly."

"More than anyone knows. It's just different without him being here. I miss him terribly. He was one of the greatest men that I have known in my life. I just feel lost without him."

"I know, Love," he said comforting his wife, "but your father would want you to take care of yourself and take care of our child. If you don't eat you're going to lose the baby. You know what the doctor told you."

"I know," she said. "What did you bring me to eat?" She made him smile. He kissed her forehead and got out of bed to bring the tray of food over to her.

"I brought you sandwich, fruit and a glass of milk," he said giving her the tray with a smile.

"It looks great," she said sitting up. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said taking a seat on the edge of the bed as his wife started to eat. "So the eyes of England are on you. They're waiting for confirmation on whether you are or aren't taking the throne, Alexandra. It is your legal right to become the Queen of England."

"I know but I'm not sure I'm ready to take the throne. It has only been a couple of sennights since my father passed away. I am not sure I'm ready to rule just yet."

"If you don't take the throne that means Victoria will be the regent Queen of England and will rule until you're ready. Don't give her that satisfaction. You have wanted the throne, you promised your father you would take the throne."

"I know what I promised my father, Roman. I'm not sure I'm ready to take over where he left off."

"You're ready, Alexandra, you've been ready to take the throne. Please don't back out now. You wanted to do this remember?"

"I know," she answered. "Will I make a great Queen?"

"Of course, you will be one of the best Queens of England the world has seen. You will be a wonderful Queen don't doubt yourself. I know it's hard to take the throne right now since your father has only been gone such a short time but you need to remember who you are. You are someone that's not afraid, you have such wonderful ideas for England, you can do this Alexandra and your father would be so proud of you. He will be proud of the Queen you are. Don't allow England to suffer the reign of Victoria."

"I know that's a terrible thought of her being the regent Queen until I'm ready to take the throne."

"It surely is terrible. She doesn't have the heart that you do. She worries about one person and that's herself, she will be a ruler that everyone fears, you don't want to be that ruler. You want to be the Queen of the people not just the nobles but the commoners, the women. You're the Queen of the people. You'll be the most wonderful Queen England has ever seen. Think about your ancestors; Queen Mary of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, King James, Queen Isabel and your father King Arthur, continue the legacy, make a new legacy for our children. You can do this Alexandra, Queen Alexandra."

"I don't want people to fear me. I want to be a fair and just ruler. I want the commoners and the nobles to be peaceful, I want the religious war to be over. I want Catholics and Protestants to live peacefully. I want to do so much," she said with a smile of hope. "I want to change England for the better."

"That's my Queen talking," he said proudly. "Our children deserve a legacy that they can be proud of, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their children what you choose to do will be in history the rest of our lives."

"I know," she said as there was a knock on their bedchamber door. "Enter," she commanded.

"I apologize, Your Highness," said their guard as he stepped into the room with a bow.

"Go on," said Alexandra.

"Princess Victoria has come to call. She would like to have a word with you," he said.

"This is the twentieth time this week," said Alexandra as she looked at Roman and he looked at her with his grey eyes. "What does she wish?"

"She wishes for you to discuss the throne with her," he said, "would you like me to send her away, tell her you're indisposed?"

"Please," answered Roman, "tell her that Princess Alexandra is indisposed and when she wishes to speak with her she will arrive at her home."

"Roman," said Alexandra, "I think I should meet with her today. Aunt Victoria is persistent if I don't speak with her today, she'll be back this evening or tomorrow. She will not cease until she speaks with me. Allow me to speak with her today."

"You are the Queen Alexandra, I cannot stop you from doing what you wish I don't want you to be provoked by Victoria and something happen to you or our child. If you wish to speak with her I cannot stop you but I want to be present," he said.

"Please, My Lord," she said with a smile. "We're in this together. I want you to be present." Roman smiled at his wife before he kissed her lips softly. He pushed the tray away and helped her out of the bed. "Thank-you," she said with a smile as they hooked their arms and made their way down to the study to meet with Victoria. Alexandra just wanted to speak with Victoria and be done with it.

The guard walked into the study before Alexandra and Roman; "Your Highness, Princess Alexandra and the Lord Roman; The Duke of Kensington," he announced as they stepped into the study.

"Oh dear you are alive," Victoria made her way over to her niece and gave her a tight hug; one that Alexandra did not reciprocate.

"As if you truly cared," snapped Alexandra as her aunt broke the hug. "I'm sure you were wishing I was unwell, unable to take the throne so that you could have the crown. I'm sure you were only truly concerned about that my well-being meant nothing to you, Victoria you don't need to pretend with me. I know your agenda. You're wishing me ill or unable to take the throne so that the crown is yours."

"Alexandra, I'm shocked that you could believe that I would wish my niece harm and not only my niece but her unborn child," she said placing her hand on Alexandra's growing stomach. "You're showing quite well for being married just four short weeks, Alexandra. Was the Princess not pure?"

"Are you calling my child a bastard?" she asked as she took her hand and removed it from her stomach. "Please do not touch me again."

"It is a bastard is it not?" she asked with a sly smile before she picked up a glass of wine. "You and Roman are having a bastard child?"

"We are married," Alexandra shot back. "What do you want? Why are you in MY castle? I do not wish to be provoked. I would like to continue on with my day."

"You're so cruel to me, all I did was love you, Alexandra. I'm worried about you. No one in England has seen you since your father's funeral. Who has hurt you so much that you can't trust?"

"Victoria, I can see right through you. I know you're not in the least concerned about me or my bastard child as you seem to think it is. The only thing you may be concerned about is if I am taking the throne or not. I know that's your biggest and only concern. The sad thing is you would rather have me dead than as the Queen."

"That's a horrible thing to say, Alexandra."

Alexandra rolled her eyes and responded, "but it is the truth is it not?"

"Alexandra," she said touching her shoulder as Alexandra pulled away. "We both lost a man that we love. I thought that this could bring us closer."

"You never cared before, you just want to get your hands on the throne," said Alexandra as she felt her temper rising. Roman knew that Alexandra didn't have much of a temper or one that he had seen unless it came to Victoria. He didn't want Alexandra getting upset over her aunt's harassment. He didn't want Alexandra upset at all out of concern for their unborn child. She hadn't been doing well, she wasn't eating, she was too upset and the doctor's instructions were to take it easy or risk losing the child she was carrying.

"Are you finished provoking my wife?" he snapped, "if you are you are free to leave."

"Oh you do have a voice," said Victoria with a smile. "I'm not provoking her, I'm simply showing my genuine concern for her well-being. She is alone in this world without a mother or a father. She's alone she needs to have someone."

"She has me," said Roman wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder.

"She doesn't even know if she can trust you," she said bluntly. "You're a gypsy boy that married into royalty and received a title from a dying King. Is it her wealth that attracted you to her, or was it the title that you wanted?"

"It was neither," he answered. "It was Alexandra's beauty and intelligence that attracted me to her. The only thing I ever wanted was her. I didn't want a title, I was fine not having a title. I didn't want wealth the only thing I ever wanted was Alexandra's heart. Nothing else ever mattered to me but that," he said making Alexandra smile.

"I see what you're doing, Victoria. You don't like Roman so you're trying to make it seem like he married me for the money and the power unlike you power and money doesn't mean much to us. This is why I chose to marry Roman. I married him because I love him. I married him because he loves me not because I wanted to give him a title or so that I could take the throne. I married him for love. I never wanted to marry for money or power. My life would be perfect if I didn't take the throne. I can have all the riches in the world, I can possess the throne but the only thing that truly matters to me is my husband and my child. Love is more powerful than wealth any day."

"You're a hopeless romantic," said Victoria. "Do you think Love is going to build you peace treaties, do you think that love is going to produce grain and food for your country? Do you believe that love is going to get your more power, get you allies, stop wars? If you think that you're mistaken. Marriages are about alliances. They are not about love."

"I would rather spend my life with someone I love than someone I needed to make an alliance with. To me marriage is about love not alliances. This is why you're the person you are and I am the person I am because we look at life differently, we see people differently; we view the world differently. You're a ruler of the nobles, I'm going to be a ruler of the people; ALL the people, commoners, protestants, Catholics, nobles, ALL the people," she said with a smile. "I'd rather be happy than miserable."

"So you are going to take the throne?"

"Was there any doubt in your mind?" asked Alexandra. "Did you not believe me when I told you I was taking the throne?"

"I believed you, Darling but I thought you would have changed your mind since you married Roman."

"Why would I change my mind?" She asked curiously. "What reason would I have for changing my mind about taking the throne?"

"With Roman being a gypsy and Roman being a commoner, I would think that you would give up the throne."

"Roman is not a gypsy anymore," she replied.

"Oh no? He was a gypsy at one time yes? What would the English people think if they knew their Queen married a gypsy man; a man from a group of people that make a living by trickery and stealing? I don't think they would be able to support this marriage, or support you as Queen in fact they might even want your head. I'm sure your people, the people of England will not want a gypsy married to their Queen. They are not favored in this country or anywhere. I think you should give up the throne if you choose to stay married to Roman."

"I'm not giving up the throne," said Alexandra, "my husband's past should have nothing to do with how I rule MY country."

"I'm sure the nobles will have other ideas," she said with a smile. "It would be a shame if they found out what you married."

"The nobles do not dictate my life, they do not dictate my rule."

"If the nobles are against you, the people are against you. They will have your head, Alexandra. You know that, give up the throne or risk your head."

"Are you threatening me?" asked Alexandra, "are you threatening your Queen?"

"You're not a Queen yet my dear and if I can help it you will not even step foot onto that throne. I will make sure the nobles know what Roman is and where he comes from. I will make sure you never make it to be the Queen of England. When they find out about Roman and they find out that you are pregnant with a bastard child and were not pure they will have your head, Alexandra."

"Can you prove my child was formed before I was married? I guess the secret is out now that Roman and I married before 3 weeks ago, we just married again so that my father could be there. We have been married for some time now. You cannot provide proof that our child was conceived before we were married. I'm taking the throne and the first thing I am going to do when I take the throne is have YOUR head for threatening me as your Queen."

"We'll see if you make it to the throne, remember the nobles are above the commoners. If they don't support your marriage, they won't support you as Queen and if they don't support you as Queen, your rule means nothing, NOTHING Alexandra, you should think about that before you selfishly take the throne."

"Get out," said Alexandra, "just get out!"

"I upset you," she said, "but I'm being truthful with you. You know the nobles, Alexandra don't be foolish. Do the right thing," she said before Alexandra's guard escorted her out of the study.

"Are you okay?" asked Roman.

"I'm fine but she's right. The nobles are going to hate you because of what you used to be. It won't matter to them that you changed, that you're not a gypsy anymore."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take the throne and not care what they think of you. If they choose to have my head for it, they choose to have my head but I love you. I'm not giving you up for the throne and I'm not giving up the throne for you. I love you, Roman. The nobles may hate you but I love you and that's all that matters."

"What if it causes a revolt against you as Queen?"

"Then it causes a revolt, you're the love of my life, the father of my child. You and I will either rule over England together or we will live a peaceful life outside the palace walls but I will not allow my aunt or anyone else frighten me into giving up the throne. I'm taking a stand against the nobles and let them know what kind of Queen I am going to be and they will NOT dictate my rule," she said firmly.

"That's my Queen," he said proudly before she wrapped her arms around Roman, reached up and kissed his lips passionately. She was not going to let anyone dictate her life or her rule. She was determined to be the Queen of the people, ALL the people not just the nobles and she was going to let them know.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra having doubts about taking the throne? Do you believe she needs time to mourn before she takes the place of her father? What do you think of her child being in danger? What did you think of Victoria showing up? What did you think of her threatening Alexandra and Roman? Do you believe that Alexandra is a stronger ruler than you orginally thought? What do you think of her being the Queen of the people and not just the nobles? Do you think she's wise to send the message that the nobles won't dictate her rule to them? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"Are you ready for this?" asked Alexandra as she and Roman made their way to the ballroom of their castle for the celebration of her ascending the throne.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be," said Roman as he took his wife's hand into his. "Are you ready Queen Alexandra?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm not quite a Queen yet but soon. I'm just a Reglia Queen after my coronation in a few months I will officially be named the Queen of England," she said with a smile. "I want to try this out and see how everything works out. I'm ready for this but I'm not ready to face all these people."

"I can imagine," he said with a smile. "You look beautiful," he complimented her on her light blue gown, with a white lace over the skirt, her sleeves were made of a light blue lace with silver glitter on it. Her hair was pulled into a high bun and she wore a black choker around her neck. The blue of her dress bringing out her beautiful blue eyes; he had never seen her so beautiful and the skirt laid perfectly over her growing belly.

"Thank-you," she said softly with a smile, her blue eyes sparkling. "You look pretty handsome yourself," she complimented him on his dark blue overcoat, his white shirt he wore beneath and his beige breeches. His dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.

"Thank-you, My Love," he responded with a smile before he kissed her lips softly as they reached the entrance to the ballroom. "It's now or never," he said with a smile.

"Now," she said with a smile as their guards opened the door for them. Alexandra made her entrance into the ballroom. Everyone stood still and the chatter stopped as she made her way into the ballroom that was decorated in light blue and white tulle. Everyone's eyes were upon her as she and Roman walked into the ballroom arm and arm. They separated leaving a passageway for them to walk through, curtseying and bowing as they walked past. Alexandra stopped and greeted them with a simple nod before she kept walking with Roman. His grip tightened on her arm letting her know he was nervous and uncomfortable. "You'll be all right," she whispered to him.

"I'm not used to all of this," he said softly. "I have never been the center of attention."

"You're married to the future Queen of England and you're the father of the heir or heiress to the throne. You're now the center of attention along with me," she said rubbing his arm softly. Alexandra glanced around the room, eyeing the guests in attendance. She saw everyone from nobles to royalty, Princesses and Princes from other countries, Kings and Queens all eyes were on her as she made her way through the ball room. She caught glimpse of one unwanted guest and groaned to herself but loud enough for Roman to hear. "I can't believe she showed up. She had a lot of nerve," she said.

"Who?" he asked, his eyes searching the ballroom for the unwanted guest, then he caught glimpse of Alexandra's aunt, talking to others, "don't let her ruin your day," he said to his wife. "This is about you ascending the throne of England, don't let her ruin your day or get you upset. You've been doing well and I don't want anything to jeopardize our little princess or prince," he said placing his hand over her stomach. "Our child will have it all."

"Sometimes having it all is not enough," she responded as she was greeted by the Duchess of Wellington; Renee.

"Your Majesty," she said with a curtsey.

"Lady Wellington," she curtsied back.

"Congratulations on your marriage. I was not expecting you to marry so quickly," she said.

"So quickly, my father could not wait for me to find my husband and make my way down the aisle. This is my husband Roman."

"My Lady," he greeted her by taking her hand, bowing and laying a kiss on her gloved hand.

"Charming," she said with a smile, "You chose well," she said with a soft smile as she batted her long eyelashes at Roman. "Are you from England?"

"He is actually from…" Alexandra started to say before Princess Victoria appeared from nowhere and interrupted her.

"He is from Romania, he's a gypsy," she interrupted.

"He has not been a gypsy for some time," interjected Alexandra, "he was never really a gypsy."

"A gypsy?" asked Renee holding her hand over her heart. "Oh my, I had no idea, please excuse me," she said before curtseying and walking away to whisper the new secret to the guests.

"Aunt Victoria, what a pleasure to see you today, I'm surprised you came. I would have thought you would be licking your wounds somewhere after finding out that I have ascended the throne."

"I would not miss your celebration for the world," she said with an amused smile, "would you like some wine?" she offered her a glass of wine.

"No, thank-you," she turned it away. "No wine for me."

"Roman, would you like to enjoy a glass of wine?"

"Not from you," he said wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders to protect her from her aunt's wrath. "I'm actually surprised to see you here."

"She is my niece, I couldn't miss this eventful evening in her life," she said with a smile of amusement, "something tells me that things will get pretty interesting by the end of the night."

"Whatever you're planning on doing," said Alexandra, "don't do it or I will have you removed from MY castle," she threatened.

"Oh Alexandra, dear, everyone is already talking. It takes one voice to send out the word and now everyone knows about your husband's ancestry," she said with amusement. "Everyone will know that your child is a bastard and carries gypsy blood by the end of the night."

"He's not a gypsy," snapped Alexandra. "He has not been a gypsy for some time, if you had done your research properly you would see that he left the gypsy lifestyle when he was younger and fled to Italy."

"But he is not of Catholic descent is he?"

"So now this is about religion?" asked Alexandra, "this is why I want to change England so I can eliminate all this discrimination against non-Catholics and discrimination against everyone that's different than us."

"I converted to being a Catholic when I went to Italy," said Roman defending himself. "I'm not a gypsy man anymore. I have never really followed the gypsy lifestyle as a young boy I didn't have a choice but when I fled to have a better life, to get educated so that I could become someone more than a farmhand I changed my life. I gave up the gypsy life and left it behind. I became a Catholic. You have no room to judge me or make assumptions about my life. Like my wife said if you were going to research me you should have done your research better."

"Is it true?" Interrupted Lord Galloway, one of the nobles that provided grain to the country; a man that was highly depended on.

"Is what true, Galloway?" asked Alexandra.

"That your husband is a gypsy and that you were not pure when you married him, that you were with child and are carrying a bastard?" he asked.

"Information sure spreads fast," said Alexandra looking at her aunt before directing her attention back to Galloway. "Lord Galloway, I assure you that you have been misinformed, my husband is not a gypsy, he is of gypsy descent yes but he does not practice the gypsy lifestyle and has not for many years. I assure you that my husband is a wonderful, honest man. As for my marriage the secret might as well be revealed," she said. "Everyone listen up!" she called out to everyone in attendance, once again the whispers ceased as all their eyes were on her and Roman. "My child is not a bastard! Roman and I married months ago before we had our actual wedding. We ran off to Italy and eloped. On our time in Italy I found out I was with child. We came back to England when my father's condition worsened. We told him of the news of our wedding and our child. He was truly happy for us and we chose to have a wedding for the people but mainly for my father. We did not conceive this child out of wedlock," she explained. "I'm sure all of you have been given misinformation on my husband as well, he is of gypsy descent but he does not and has not practiced the gypsy lifestyle for many years. He is an honest and hardworking man. He may not be a noble, he was not a rich man but he is a good man. If he was not your King would not have approved of our marriage."

"But gypsies are known tricksters and thieves," called out one of the nobles. "And how do we know you were really married before you were with child, you could be telling us this tale to save yourself."

"Yeah," called out another noble. "You're betraying the people of England, you are not a chaste princess and you're married to a thief and a trickster. Why do we want someone like that ruling our land?"

"I assure you that my husband is not a trickster and I can assure you that I am chaste. My husband went to Italy to better himself as a person, he got educated and he took on jobs. He is not a bad man," she defended her husband. She would defend him and support him their entire lives. She loved him because he was a great man and she wanted the world to see that. "I promise you that if Roman was a bad man or had any ill intentions he would NOT be in this castle."

"Maybe you shouldn't take the throne," called out a noble.

"Yeah, down with the Queen!" yelled another as everyone else cheered in agreement. "Down with the Queen!" Alexandra looked at Victoria and she gave her a smug smile that made Alexandra sick to her stomach. "Down with the queen! Off with her head!"

"EVERYONE settle down," yelled Roman. "Alexandra is your queen, respect her."

"Gypsy, silence," called out Lord Galloway. "Throw him in a dungeon, take the throne from Alexandra. Victoria would make a much better Queen. Down with Alexandra!"

"You don't make the call," said Alexandra, "I am not going anywhere, my husband is NOT going anywhere. Everyone calm down and relax. I promise you that my reign will be different than others. I promise that my husband is not a bad man. You will respect your Queen."

"How can we be sure?" asked Lord Galloway, "that your husband is a good man. Gypsies are known for their trickery," he said, "we cannot support a gypsy in the castle or married to the queen."

"Lord Galloway, I understand your concern," she said. "Please just allow Roman to prove to you that he is not a bad man, that he is not tricking you. He will do what is best for this country. He is not going to rob or steal from the castle. He's a wonderful man, I promise you," she said trying to convince him with sincerity in her voice.

Lord Galloway looked into her blue eyes and saw the sincerity. He nodded to himself and then said, "we'll give Roman a chance to prove himself, if he makes a mistake or he proves to us that he is not worthy of our Queen, he deceives us we will order for his imprisonment and we will overthrow you as Queen, Your Majesty."

"I do not like threats, Lord Galloway. Do not threaten me, I do not respond well to threats but you will know that I do not scare easily and your threats will not chase me to fear. Do not threaten me, are we clear Lord Galloway?"

"Clear," he said with a nod.

"Very well," said Alexandra, "Please go on and enjoy yourselves, celebrate enjoy the night," she said with a smile before everyone went back to celebrating her ascending the throne. She diffused her first issue and knew there would be many more to come and she had no doubts that she would be able to diffuse anything that came her way.

"Nicely done, My Love," said Roman with a proud smile, "shall we dance?"

"Of course," she said with a smile taking his hand and giving a gloating smile toward her aunt, she had won against her aunt's plan for destruction. Roman took her hand and led her to the ballroom floor as the sound of violins, cellos and the piano filled the room. All eyes were on them as they started to dance across the floor. There was no denying that Roman truly loved his wife and everyone saw that in his eyes and the way he looked at her. He saw deep within her soul, beyond the crown, beyond the wealth and beyond the power, he saw her for what she truly was a beautiful, intelligent woman. "I love you," she said softly into his ear as they danced.

"I love you too, My Love," he whispered back into her ear, "I couldn't be prouder of you than I am. I'm proud to call you my wife," he said before he kissed her cheek softly as they continued to dance as the others joined in with them. Victoria stood glaring at her niece and her new husband, her plan had foiled. She had no other choice to enlist in plan B. She dismissed herself from the ballroom without anyone noticing her leave.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra finally ascending the throne? What do you think of Victoria causing trouble at her celebration? Will the nobles truly give Roman a chance to prove to them that he's not a bad guy? What did you think of the nobles rising against Alexandra, do you think they will prevent her from officially taking the throne? What do you think of Alexandra and Victoria confronting each other? Do you think their situation is going to explode soon? What do you think of Victoria's plan foiling? What is on her mind? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	22. Chapter 22

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"What's on the agenda today?" Roman asked his wife as they made their way through the castle after they had a private breakfast together and another passionate morning.

"I have to make some decisions on whether to punish someone for their crimes or not. It is dreadfully boring. We have to listen to both sides of the story and then make the decision whether we will punish them or not. Someone always ends up infuriated then from there we have to go to the orphanage to deliver some food and toys for them, spend some time with the children," she said.

"It sounds like a wonderful afternoon," he said with a smile wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Have you heard from Victoria lately?"

"Not since my celebration," she said, "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," she said.

"I want to take it as a good thing."

"Yes but not hearing from her means she could be plotting something against you or me or both of us," she said. "I want to find out more about my mother's death, I still think she had something to do with it but it's too late now. It has been many years since my mother's death. I don't know if there would be anything to prove."

"You still believe that your aunt poisoned her?" he questioned.

"There's not a doubt in my mind, just like I don't have a doubt in mind she will stop at nothing to keep me from reaching my coronation and stopping me from taking the throne. You saw what she did at the party. She made sure everyone knew that you were a gypsy and made sure everyone knew that we conceived the baby before we were married."

"I have gypsy blood in me but I have not practiced that lifestyle since I was younger. I have never stolen from anyone, I have never harmed anyone I'm a good man. There is nothing anyone can say I have done. I left Romania for a better life, to get an education and to be a better man. I walked away from the gypsy life a long time ago as for our child being a bastard no one can prove when our child was conceived. It was either that night you came to my residence or on our time in Italy. It doesn't matter. What matters is we're married, you're ascending the throne of England and we're having a beautiful child."

"I know but I still feel like you and I should watch our backs because I don't trust Victoria she let it all go too easily. I feel she's plotting something."

"I have hired more than enough guards to ensure your safety and the safety of our child."

"And what about your safety?" she asked with concern, "do you think she wouldn't hurt you to get to me? You're not safe either, Roman."

"Don't worry about me. It's not your job to worry about if I am safe or not. I am a man. I am able to take care of myself. I'll be all right. It is my job to make sure you and the future Prince or Princess is safe."

"You should still be concerned for your safety," she insisted. "I would feel better knowing that someone isn't trying to poison you and that someone isn't trying to end your life. I would like for you to make it to see the birth of our child and to see my coronation."

"I'll be there," he promised. "I wouldn't miss either for the world. I promise you don't have to worry about me."

"Victoria garnered you a lot of enemies when she shared your past, you're in more danger than I. Please, Roman, consider having a few guards on you and be careful when you eat or drink something."

"I will have people testing our food and drinks, I promise, Alex, nothing is going to happen to any of us but I need to make sure you're safe."

"If you say so," she said with a soft smile. "And when did you start to call me Alex?"

"Do you not like my nickname for you?"

"I much prefer Alexandra," she responded. "It's more proper."

"As you wish, My Queen," he said before kissing her cheek softly as they reached the room they would make the final decision on someone's fate for their crimes. The guard opened the door for them and Alexandra walked in before Roman and took her place on the throne as Roman took a seat next to his wife.

Alexandra and Roman sat in their thrones as the people of England came and went, victims exploiting the sins of the one that did wrong against them whether it was stealing from their homes or stealing from their businesses they explained their transgressions to the Queen. She listened intently to each story and listened intently to their words. The suspect battled back with a story of their own. Alexandra had to decide whether the suspect was innocent or guilty. She sent more people to execution than she had set free. In her best judgment she found all the suspects guilty of their crimes. It was a tedious job but it was one of the many jobs belonging to the Queen. "Prince Roman," called out a man dressed in a dingy white shirt and a pair of dingy beige breeches as he entered into the room with two guards by his side. "You're an inspiration to many of us commoners," he said with a smile making Roman smile. "Who would have thought that a poor gypsy boy like yourself would one day marry the Queen of England and become a prince? You're one lucky man," he said with a smile. "I just wish to shake the hand of the man that gave me hope to be something more than a shepherd," he said, "can I shake your hand your Highness?" he asked with a curt bow.

"Of course," answered Roman with a smile as he stood from his seat. Alexandra made eye contact with her husband and there was warning in her eyes. "I'll be careful," he promised before he stepped down from the thrones and made his way toward the commoner. "It's nice to make your acquaintance," Roman said with a smile as he held his hand out for the commoner, "what's your name?"

"A friend with a warning," his voice turned cold as he pulled a dagger from his pocket. He was wrestled to the ground by the guards before he could do much harm to Roman, his dagger cut Roman's hand slightly and the blood poured from his hand as the guards held the commoner down on the ground.

"Roman!" cried out Alexandra as she attempted to make her way to her husband but the guards stopped her until they were given permission to take the prisoner to a cell. "Take him away," she commanded. "Get him out of here! I will deal with him later," she called out. "And release me," she demanded. The guards freed her in seconds as the commoner was taken to his cell. "Roman," she cried as she ran to her husband. "Are you okay?" she took his hand and saw the blood pouring from his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as one of the guards came into the room with a towel and alcohol to clean out his cut. "He just cut my hand."

"He could have killed you," said Alexandra. "Do you still think you don't need guards now? If the guards wouldn't have been here he could have killed you. I will find out who made an attempt at taking your life."

"Alexandra," he said as the guard poured alcohol over his wound. He winced in pain as the alcohol cleansed it. "I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Are you okay?"

"I'm worried about you," she said honestly.

"Should we cancel the trip to the orphanage?" asked another guard.

"No," said Alexandra, "we'll still be attending the event at the orphanage but please make sure your men are well aware of the situation that just occurred and make sure the entire orphanage is clear of danger," she demanded as she took the bandages from the guard to wrap around Roman's hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said the guard with a nod. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just alert your men of the danger that is out there and make sure they are prepared for more attempts on the prince's life."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he bowed and exited the room while Alexandra wrapped the bandages around her husband's hand.

"Alexandra, I really don't need the protection," he said.

"Oh no? What would happen if you're out in the town and someone else makes an attempt on your life and you have no guards with you? You need to have two guards on you at least. I do not want to lose my husband," she said, "Please just listen to me."

"Alexandra," he pleaded. "I don't need protection."

"As your Queen I am ordering you be protected," she said.

"Fair enough," said Roman knowing once the Queen ordered something it had to be done and if he went against her orders he could face the consequences whether he was her husband or not, the laws of the Queen still applied to him. "I will keep two guards on me at all times," he promised his wife. She was right. If he didn't have guards to protect him it wasn't guaranteed he would be able to protect himself in the situation of someone else trying to take his life. He didn't want to miss Alexandra's coronation nor did he want to miss the birth of their child. He wanted a future with Alexandra, he needed to keep himself as well as her protected at all times. Losing a future with his wife came too close that day.

Following the events earlier that morning, Alexandra ceased bringing people into the castle to make the decision whether they were guilty or innocent of their crimes. She tended to her husband the rest of the morning making sure he was okay and that he was safe. She would speak to the man that tried to end Roman's life another time but she made the promise to visit the orphanage and she didn't want to let the children down. She and Roman strolled into town heavily guarded on their way to the orphanage on the cool autumn day. There was a crisp chill in the air as they rode the carriage down the stone roads of the town. People surrounded their carriage as they pulled into the town. The guards tried to keep them away but to no avail. Everyone in town was desperate to get a glimpse of the Queen and her husband. The carriage pulled up in front of the orphanage as the crowd of people surrounded it. The guards opened the carriage allowing Roman to exit first and he turned to help his wife down the stairs of the carriage. He held her gloved hand in his as she stepped down into the crowd of people in a pink overcoat and a large pink tea hat. She curtsied to the people and made her way into the orphanage alongside her husband as the guards held the town's people back.

Alexandra and Roman made their way into the meeting room of the orphanage. They were surprised to see the children gathered around playing with a small amount of toys. Some little girls played with dolls while some little boys played with wooden toys with wheels. The children were clothed in dingy dresses and dingy shirts and breeches. Alexandra's heart ached for the children. Their faces covered in dirt and their hands dirty. The little girls' hair dirty, undone and tangled in knots and the little boys with uncut hair, just as dirty as the girls, Alexandra's heart ached for the children. Babies were crying in the corner and weren't much cleaner. "My new project," she whispered to Roman, "is to clean this place up and to make these children seem happier," she said feeling the gloominess in the air.

"That's a good idea," he whispered back as the owner greeted them and introduced them to the children.

"You're a Queen!" said one of the little girls with a smile.

"I am," said Alexandra with a smile as Roman went off to play with a couple of the little boys of the orphanage. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Emma," she answered softly. Alexandra's heart melted at the sight of the little girl that couldn't have been older than the age of 5. She was a beautiful little girl with big blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. She could have passed as Alexandra's daughter she looked similar to her.

"Emma, that's a beautiful name," she said with a smile. "What's that?" she asked pointing to the porcelain doll in the little girls arms. It looked like it could have seen better days.

"This is a doll my mum gave to me," she said softly and sadly, "her name is Mary. My mum gave her to me before the accident."

"She's beautiful," said Alexandra with a smile.

"Thank-you," she said softly. "Your crown is pretty. I like the diamonds," she said as Alexandra was down on her level and she admired the crown with her blue eyes.

"Would you like to wear it?" she asked with a smile.

"Can I?" she asked with excitement in her voice as other little girls gathered around Alexandra and Emma as Roman played with the little boys of the orphanage. Alexandra smiled as she watched her husband interacting with the children. She knew he was going to be a wonderful father no matter how scared he was.

"Yes," she said with a smile as she removed the crown from her head and placed it onto the little girl's head. "Now you're Princess Emma," she said with a smile.

"I feel like a Princess," she said with a smile as she twirled around in her torn lavender dress, her blonde hair twirled with her. Alexandra smiled at her excitement as the other little girls twirled with her. Alexandra smiled and joined in with them as they all started to giggle turning Roman's attention to his wife. He smile as he watched her having fun with the little girls. She was so happy and she was having fun. Since she had ascended the throne she hadn't been able to enjoy herself as she was in that moment. He thought of her with their own children, she would be a wonderful mother.

"Who wants to hear a story?" asked Alexandra as she and the girls finished twirling and dancing together and every little girl tried on her crown. They cried out in excitement and answered with a me. "Okay," she said softly. "Let's take a seat and I'll read you a story," she said with a smile as she grabbed the book from her bag that she had enjoyed as a child. The little girls gathered around her and Emma sweetly climbed onto her lap as Roman and the boys gathered around to listen to the story. Alexandra smiled as she began to read to the children. She wanted to make a difference for them, give them something to be happy about which is why she promised herself she would clean up the orphanage by hand, provide them with toys, clothes and possibly a new owner. It was on her list of things to accomplish as Queen and she didn't' think it would be too bad if she oversaw things in the orphanage as well. She had fallen in love with all the children but Emma held a place in her heart the moment she met her.

"Thank-you, Your Majesty," said the woman in charge of the orphanage. "Thank-you for coming to visit the children today, they really enjoyed it."

"I enjoyed myself as well," said Alexandra, "The prince and I will return in a week or so," she promised.

"To visit with the children?" she asked.

"There are some changes I would like to make to the orphanage," she said, "I would like to begin them as soon as possible," she said.

"Oh," she said with surprise, "that would be wonderful."

"I'm sure," said Alexandra, "and I would like to start overseeing things with the orphanage to make sure funds are going where they are needed and to make sure the children are healthy," she said raising an eyebrow, "if you know what I mean."

"Yes, Your Majesty," she said nervously.

"Very well," she said, "One more thing, what would one have to do if they were interested in adopting one of the children?" she asked sparking Roman's interest.

"The candidate would have to be in good standing and fill out all the necessary paperwork," she answered.

"Very well," said Alexandra with a nod. "Have a wonderful day," she said before she and Roman made their exit.

"I enjoyed myself today," said Roman.

"As did I," she responded as he helped her into the carriage. "Those children deserve much better which is why I will start to oversee things in that orphanage and make sure they are taken care of properly. The living conditions were terrible."

"I agree," he said with a smile. "Are you interested in adopting a child from the orphanage?"

"It crossed my mind. Little Emma took to me so quickly and I took to her. She was such a sweet little girl. I didn't want to leave her behind."

"If that's your wish, Alexandra, do not allow me to stop you. I will adopt any child you wish so we can give them a home."

Alexandra smiled and said, "I would love to adopt little Emma."

"If that's what you want to do," he said with a smile. "I want you to be happy Alexandra."

"It's what I wish," she said with a smile before she kissed his lips softly. "I love you, Roman."

"I love you too, Alexandra," he said softly with a smile. "I want a big family whether they come naturally or we adopt."

"Me too," she said with a smile.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra pushing Roman to have guards on him? Do you think he needs to be protected also? What did you think of the attempt on Roman's life? Who do you think is responsible for that? Do you think there will be more attempts on both their lives? What did you think of Alexandra and Roman visiting the orphanage? What about Alexandra deciding to make changes to the orphanage and to oversee things for the children? What about her wanting to adopt Emma from the orphanage? Is that a good idea or a bad idea? As a Queen will she be able to adopt her? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

"Who are you working for, Pel?" asked Alexandra as she placed her hands on the cold stone table in the dark and cool dungeon leaning over looking into the eyes of the man that attempted to harm her husband by murdering him. If it weren't for the guards her husband would not be with her today. Pel's dark icy blue eyes met Alexandra's cool blue eyes filled with anger as he stared back at the Queen. "Speak, Pel, someone sent you to take out my husband and I want to know who it was!" She demanded.

"I'll never tell," he said. "Your husband does not belong in the royal court. He is a heathen. He does not belong in the royal court," he stated. "I don't regret what I did. Your husband needs to die."

"Who sent you, Pel?"

"You would love for me to tell you, wouldn't you, your majesty?" he asked with a smirk on his face exposing his near rotted teeth. Pel was one of the commoners from the village in town. Alexandra had run into him a few times visiting her businesses and her estates in the village. He ran a small shop in the village that sold grains and other foods to eat. Alexandra thought he was a nice man until the day he tried to murder her husband. She knew someone had paid him to do the job.

"As your Queen I am demanding that you tell me who sent you to kill my husband," she demanded, her voice stern, not showing any of the emotion she was feeling deep inside of her. She was scared above anything else, she feared who else could be out there to harm her husband, to take him away from her and their child. "Tell me," she demanded again getting into Pel's face.

Pel let out a soft chuckle which annoyed Alexandra to the core. She gritted her teeth, gripped the stone table, closed her eyes to keep herself calm. She didn't want Pel to see that he was getting to her, that he was infuriating her with his disregard of her demands. "You are just going to need to kill me because I'm not saying a word on who sent me to take out your husband."

"I will give you until sundown to reveal the name of the person that sent you to take my husband's life and if you don't," she warned before she stood up. She took her finger across her throat symbolizing that his head will be taken. "It will be your head," she warned. "Think about that," she said before she and her guards made their way to the door of the dark and dirty dungeon cell Pel was shackled in.

"Oh, Your Majesty," called out Pel as Alexandra was ready to walk out the cell door. He stopped her in her tracks and she turned around to face the man that came to her home, her castle to take her husband's life, "do you think if you behead me that your husband is going to be safe? Your husband has other enemies than just me. Your husband will never be safe, you'll never be safe and your bastard child will never be safe. Roman's enemies will do away with him and then do away with you. Step down from the throne, Queen Alexandra. If you care about your husband and your child, step down from the throne," he warned. Alexandra turned back around and made her way out of the cell with her guards close by her side.

Alexandra walked through the halls of the castle with a purpose, her black skirts swaying at her feet, her long strawberry blonde hair swaying with her walk. "As your Queen," she stated to her guards, "no one gets into this castle without being properly checked for weapons, no one enters those gates without my permission are we clear?" she asked.

"Yes, Your majesty," said one of the guards. "We will make sure that the castle as well as you and your husband are protected at all times."

"I want you to find out who is responsible for sending Pel to my home to take my husband's life. He made it obvious he is not going to talk and we need to know who is responsible on this attack and how many more people they have enlisted to attack my family. I also want all food and beverages tested before consumption inside and outside the castle that my husband and I will come in contact with. They will be checked for poison. We have to be aware and cautious of everyone and everything. I do not want my child growing up fatherless, and I don't want to live my life without my husband. Make sure these precautions are taken care of," she said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said nodding to her instruction. Alexandra knew that they couldn't take risks anymore, everything had to be tested; everything needed to be watched for their protection.

"I told you, Alexandra that marrying a poor gypsy boy and giving him a title would have negative results from the people of this great country," mocked Victoria as she met Alexandra in the hallway.

"Your Majesty," said Carlisle with a bow as he joined them out of breath. "I tried to detain her but she slipped passed me," he said, "please forgive me."

"You're forgiven, Carlisle, I understand Princess Victoria doesn't understand boundaries and doesn't understand when she's not wanted," she said shooting Victoria a look.

"Would you like me to remove her from the castle, Your Majesty?" asked the guard.

"No," said Alexandra, "I think that Princess Victoria and I need to have a conversation," she said. "In private, please remain outside the doors to the study while we have our conversation, Carlisle, please bring us some tea."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Carlisle before he walked away to get the tea and a guard went with him to sample the tea to make sure no one tried to poison Alexandra.

"Alexandra, do you see the consequences of upsetting the people of England?" asked Victoria. "I heard the news of a commoner trying to stab Roman, you must be so frightened."

"I'm fine," said Alexandra, "you can cut the act now Victoria, you think I don't know that you're responsible for Pel attacking my husband? You have been against me taking the throne since before I was born. You were so against me taking the throne you poisoned my own mother so that there would be no other heirs to the throne before you."

"Poisoned your mother? I'm appalled that you would think I would do something so callous," she said placing her hand over her heart. "I would never do such a thing."

"Victoria," said Alexandra, "you have made it clear you will stop at nothing to take the throne. My mother producing any more children with my father would have pushed you further down the line, the only way to ensure she wouldn't produce any more children you chose to poison her to her death."

"That's ridiculous," she tried to laugh. "I would never do such a thing."

"And you knew how much my father loved my mother, you knew that once she was gone he would not take another wife. You had reason to get my mother out of the picture. You didn't want it to be a sudden death because then everyone would be suspicious. You chose to make it painful and slow for my mother, allowed her to be sick, made her believe that she had some type of illness incurable by the doctors. No one would be suspicious of that. I know what you did, Victoria and I will prove it and once I do," she warned, "it will be your head on a spike."

"Alexandra," she said touching her shoulder. "Do you think I would harm your mother just to take the throne?"

"Yes, Victoria, I do but the only thing that went wrong with your plan is I'm still alive which if you have your way won't be for long or you're hoping to kill my husband so that I give up the throne out of fear of my life but I will never give up the throne, not to you. You can deny that you sent Pel to MY castle to murder my husband and deny that you have others out there willing to kill my husband or kill myself but I am going to prove it. I'm going to make sure all of England knows that Roman isn't that terrible person they believe he is but YOU Princess Victoria are the terrible person you pretend not to be. I'm ruling England now and you have bullied my father or tried to frighten him from the throne but you will NOT chase me from ruling England. I am your Queen and you will respect me."

"Oh, Alexandra, so young and so naïve," she said with a laugh. "How are you going to rule a country where your people are ready to turn their backs on you at any moment, nobles refuse to sell grain and other goods you'll need to survive. Your country will endure a famine they will endure poverty and hunger. Yet the only thing you're worried about is who is trying to kill your husband. If you cared about this country at all, you would take your time thinking of ways to save those relations with the nobles, providing food for your people and making the people of your country seem safe instead of worrying of who is trying to kill your husband and accuse me of murdering your mother. I'm sorry you lost your mother at a young age, Alexandra, I'm sorry that she was sick but that was not my doing," she said. "You're a woman now, the Queen of a country, you need to do what's right for your people, care about their needs and their wants. If you neglect them, there will be a revolution against you, Alexandra. I promise you that. Think about what is more important," she said. "Your country or your husband? Don't let your selfishness weaken you. Make the right decision for your country, make things right," she said before she took her leave, leaving Alexandra in the middle of the study pondering on the words of her aunt. Was she destroying her country by being selfish? Did she make the wrong decision taking the throne knowing that a revolution against her could happen? She placed her hand on her growing stomach as she took a seat on the couch in the study.

"Alexandra," she turned at the sound of her husband's voice. "There you are," he said walking into the study. "I've been looking for you for some time now. Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, "I think so."

"That didn't sound confident," he said taking a seat next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "What's on your mind, don't say nothing because you've been crying, what's going on?"

"Victoria came to visit," she said taking his free hand into hers she played with his wedding ring.

"What's wrong, Baby Girl?" he asked kissing her temple softly.

"I confronted her about poisoning my mother but of course she denied it. She turned it around on me. She said I was selfish. She said I am too worried about her poisoning my mother making accusations against her for something she didn't do and worrying about everyone that's out to get you. She is right, Roman. I'm so worried about your enemies, worried that I'm going to lose you. I'm too busy trying to find out who wants to harm you I'm not stopping to see that our country is in trouble. The nobles don't accept you. If they don't accept you or my rule they will refuse to sell goods and grains to our country leaving my people hungry and starving. They will revolt against me if that happens. I need to make things right with the nobles. Our country depends on them."

"You don't need the nobles of England, Alexandra you can reach out to other countries, set up trades. You don't need to solely rely on the nobles of this country. Making allies with other countries for trade is just as good. Your people will not starve. Victoria is trying to scare you into giving up the throne. Don't let her get into your head."

"But you have so many enemies, I talked to that prisoner today. He refused to tell me who was responsible for the attack and who sent him. He made it clear there are more people out there that want to harm you, that even if he's dead that you still have enemies that want to harm you," she said moving closer to him. "Maybe taking the throne was a mistake. I don't want to lose you because I chose to take the throne."

"You're not going to lose me; I promise," he said with sincerity. "I'm not going anywhere for a long time. You don't have to worry and I don't want you to think you always need to protect me. It isn't your job to protect me, Alexandra. And you're not selfish not by any means. You care so much one of my favorite things about you is that you have a big heart. Victoria is an ugly jealous woman. She wants your throne and she's going to do all that she can to take it from you. Don't let her win, Alexandra. You're a wonderful woman and you have so much good planned for the country and the people of this country. You're not selfish and if the nobles turn their back on you and their country they are the ones that are selfish. If that happens we'll reach out to other countries, make trades, your people will never starve just like you will never lose me I promise," he said before brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "You're so beautiful."

"Thank-you," she said with a soft smile as she leaned into his touch. "I love you, Roman, you have no idea how much I love you. If I were to lose you my life would be over. I know that I can't live without you," she said with tears filling her blue eyes.

"I love you," he said wiping her tears away. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. I have a surprise for you, I have something to show you," he said with a smile.

"You do?" she asked with smile.

"Yes," he said standing up, "follow me."

"Okay," she said taking his hand and walking with him.

Alexandra followed Roman through their castle, up the winding staircase. He led her down the hallway passing their bedchamber and stopped at the bedchamber next to theirs. Roman placed his hand on the knob and turned it opening the door slightly. "Close your eyes," he said with a smile.

"Okay," she said with a soft smile as she closed her eyes. He took her hand into hers and led her into the room.

"Open them," he said softly.

Alexandra's eyes opened and before her was a beautiful nursery. She stood in awe of the nursery it was painted in a light green color, the wooden dresser handcrafted along with the rocking chair in the room. There was a wooden handcrafted cradle that looked perfect. She made her way over to the cradle and ran her fingers over the wood. It was smooth and felt polished. The cradle rocked as she touched it. Inside the cradle were yellow and green hand sewn blankets and a teddy bear that looked as if it had been around for years. "It's beautiful," she said with tears in her eyes. "Did you do this?"

"I painted the nursery, and handcrafted every piece of furniture," he said with a smile.

"And the cradle," she said with happiness in her voice, "it's perfect."

"I made that as well," he said with a smile as he joined his wife, "and this little guy," he said pulling out the teddy bear in the cradle. "This little guy was my teddy bear when I was a little boy. It's one of the only things I have left from my childhood. I wanted to give it to our son or daughter. It was a special bear to me," he said. "I want him or her to have it."

"It's cute," she said with a smile, "this whole nursery is beautiful. You did a wonderful job," she said with a smile. "Our baby is lucky to have you for a papa."

"I'm lucky to be a papa and to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world. We're going to make it, Alexandra. NO matter what Victoria or anyone else tries to throw at us we're going to make it. I promise," he said with a smile as he placed the bear back into the cradle. "We're going to make it," he said before taking his wife into his arms and kissing her lips softly as his promise to her. He placed his hand on her stomach as he kissed her. He pulled away when he felt the small foot of their baby kick his hand. "It kicked," he said with a smile. "I felt it." Alexandra smiled at her husband's happiness and his pride as he placed his hand back on her stomach as their blessing kicked at his large hand making his smile bigger. He dropped down to his knees and placed both hands on her stomach before kissing her stomach through her silk gown. "Hello, there, I'm your papa and I love you so much. I can't wait to meet you and hold you in my arms," he said with tears in his eyes. "Your Mama and I are going to make sure you have the best life you could have. We love you so much already," he said with a soft smile. "Nothing in this world is ever going to take me from you either. I promise," he said with a smile before he rested his head against her stomach, tears ran from Alexandra's eyes as she ran her fingers through Roman's hair as they enjoyed this private moment of their family.

 ***A/N: What did you think of the prisoner not giving up who sent him to take out Roman? Do you believe there could be more people out there ready to harm Roman or Alexandra and even their child? Who do you think sent him? What did you think of Victoria appearing at the castle? Is she trying to get inside of Alexandra's head to make her give up the throne? What about Alexandra confronting her about her mother being poisoned? Do you think Alexandra will prove that it was her doing? Do you think Alexandra needs all the precautions she told her guards to take? What did you think of Roman promising her he wasn't going to leave her and that it's not her job to protect him? What about him making the nursery for the baby? What about giving the baby his teddy bear? What are your thoughts on him talking to the baby and making the same promise to it that he made to Alexandra? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	24. Chapter 24

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated***

"Well, well, look who decided to show their face around here," said Roman's best friend Dean as he walked into the pub he often frequented before he married Alexandra and became royalty. He was followed by a couple of castle guards as he made his way into the pub he partly owned. "I thought you had forgotten about all of us," said Dean as he cleaned the counter.

"I would never forget about you," said Roman as he took a seat at the counter. "Hit me with some rum," he requested as he removed his hat and gloves before removing his cloak.

"How is the life of royalty treating you?" he asked handing him a glass of rum.

"Much different than the life I lived before," he answered before taking a swig of his rum. "It's a stressful life. I don't know how the royals have done it all these years. There are balls every time I turn around, masquerades to attend and a lot of work to be done. I miss seeing my wife most days because she is too occupied being the Queen."

"I can imagine it's hard. What is the castle like?"

"Big, private," he answered. "There are servants everywhere. I'm still trying to get used to a servant dressing me or waiting on me. I'm not used to that life."

"I can imagine it's much different than living in your small cottage. When do I get to meet your beautiful wife; Queen Alexandra?"

"I have no answer to that question," he responded. "Maybe when we come into town together next, she's not much of a drinker of rum but she enjoys her wine except she is down to a glass a day because of the baby."

"Are you ready for fatherhood yet?" he asked.

"I'm getting prepared," he responded. "I'm ready to meet my son or daughter I'm just not sure I am ready to be a father. I never had the chance to be a father. I never knew a father's life either. I just hope to be a better father than my own."

"I'm certain you will. How is Alexandra, can I call her Alexandra or do I have to call her the Queen?"

"Alexandra is doing well. She's increasing well. And Alexandra is fine I'm sure she wouldn't mind if my best friend called her Alexandra instead of Your Majesty. She's not like any Queen I have heard of before. She's as normal as she can be. We're discussing adopting a child from the orphanage as well. We are waiting on word if we are able to or not."

"The Queen of England can do as she pleases, no one grants her permission, she is in charge here. Although I see the people of England are not happy with the Queen being married to a gypsy."

"There has been an attempt on my life," he responded. "I would say they aren't happy. I'm not worried about the people that want to crucify me. They will see that I am of no harm to them. They will see I am not the monster they created me to be. They will see I am not a thief. I will prove to them I am not here to be a trader. I am here to love my wife and support her as she rules the country."

"So the married life is going well? No mistresses?"

"I don't need a mistress," said Roman. "I love my wife. Our bedroom affairs are very well intact," he said with a smile. "Alexandra and I are very content with one another."

"I'm happy to hear that," he said with a smile. "Being royal has helped you greatly. Your new clothes are magnificent."

"Alexandra made them for me," he said proudly.

"A queen that can sew and make her own clothes, she surely is different than other Queens," he said.

"I explained to you that Alexandra is a Queen yet she chooses to live life normally. I love her madly," he said with a smile on his face before taking a swig of his Rum.

"What's with your audience and new friends?"

"They are my guards, Alexandra does not let me leave the castle without them. They are to protect me from harm."

"I suppose you need to be guarded but don't you find it ironic that you were once a guard for the Princess and now you have guards of your own?" he asked with amusement.

"I got lucky with Alexandra," he said honestly with a smile on his face. "Alexandra is a wonderful woman. I know at the beginning I thought she would be nothing but a spoiled brat but as I got to know her I started to fall in love with her. I was just supposed to bed her and be finished with her but my heart had other plans."

"You've turned into a sap," said Dean with a teasing smile. "You're much happier."

"She has given my life that much more meaning. She's my reason for waking up every day and the reason I smile. I cannot put into words how happy I am to spend the rest of my life loving her and spending the rest of my life with her. We have started a family and there is nothing more beautiful than that."

"You have really turned into a sap," he teased, "but I am happy for you, Reigns. If anyone deserves this happiness it's you. You have been through a lot. When you lost the love of your life in that carriage accident and your unborn child you hurt so deeply. It's good to see you let someone in, let someone love you and it's good to see that you opened up your heart to love again. I was starting to get concerned with your philandering ways but I'm glad you settled down and are happy. You have everything you could ever dream of being married to the Queen."

"It's not about being married to the Queen, it's about being married to the woman that is the Queen, if we stripped away the title, took away her money she would still be the woman I love and she would still be the woman to give my life meaning. Nothing would change that," he said with a smile. There would never be a day he could live without Alexandra, he loved her way too much to spend a day without her or to go on living without her. She was his entire life, his entire world. His life without her would hold no meaning.

Meanwhile back at the castle Alexandra was pacing back and forth in the study. She needed to prove that her Aunt Victoria was responsible for her mother's death. She knew she had to be. Victoria had been jealous of her father receiving the throne after their mother passed away, she was jealous when her father and her mother created Alexandra making her the new heir to the throne pushing Victoria further down the line anymore children between Alexandra's father and her mother would have pushed Victoria further down the line of succession. Victoria knew she had to get rid of Alexandra's mother to prevent that. "Your Majesty," said Carlisle as he walked into the study. "You should sit down. You have been pacing all day. Is there something troubling you?"

"Carlisle, I am just thinking," she responded.

"Can I get you anything, Your Majesty?" he offered.

"No thank-you, Carlisle, you have known me since I was an infant you do not need to call me majesty please call me Alexandra, you're like family to me. We're more like friends than we are acquaintances. I feel more comfortable if you call me Alexandra."

"Of course, Your, Alexandra," he said with a soft smile. Carlisle had been a servant of Alexandra's family her entire life. He had aged well over the last few years, his once brown hair faded into grey, his head of hair diminished and thinned out. His smooth face soon became one of wrinkles from the smiles and the laughter he experienced over the years. He was a happy man and had always been by Alexandra's side as long as she could remember. He was her family in a world that she had no one left but her husband and her butler. She never looked at him as the hired help but as a friend, none of her servants were ever beneath her growing up. She treated them as friends and family. She included them in her game playing, she would talk to them about anything. She treated them as if they were her family. No one was ever beneath Alexandra she treated everyone fairly and just. She grew close to those around her and she offered them food from her table, drew them pictures. She never thought anything less of them. Carlisle had been no different. His eyes were a crystal blue and they had years of worldliness and experience in them. He spoke eloquently and sophisticatedly. He was one of the smartest men that Alexandra had the pleasure of knowing. It was him that introduced her into the world of literature and sparked her curiosity in books.

"Carlisle, were you close to my mother like you are close to me?" she asked rubbing her growing stomach.

"Your mother and I were very close, Alexandra, she treated me fairly as you do. You remind me of her every day. You two share the same heart and you always look for the best in someone. You never treated me beneath you and neither did your mother."

"Did she ever have worries about Victoria? Did she trust her?"

"I'm unsure of what you're asking, are you asking me if she disliked Victoria?"

"Yes, what was their relationship like. I don't remember back that far," she said, "I was just 3 years old. I barely remember my mother at times just the stories my father used to tell me. Other than those I have no idea about my mother and the person she was. Everyone tells me I am the spitting image of my mother but I often wonder what she was like. I don't remember how she acted toward Victoria."

"I would say their relationship was stressed a bit," he answered as he rubbed his chin.

"Did they not get along?" she asked.

"Your mother and Victoria were like oil and water. You could not have the two in the same room together. It just didn't work well. Victoria was jealous of your mother I suppose."

"Did Victoria ever threaten my mother?"

"If she had I know nothing about it. You should read your mother's journals."

"My mother had journals?" asked Alexandra.

"Yes, your mother wrote in them quite often. If you're wondering if Victoria had anything to do with your mother's death I wondered for years. If she thought the same thing it would be in her journals."

"I would love to read my mother's journals, do you know where I can find them? I never knew that she had any."

"Yes they are in the library," he answered. "I will get them for you."

"Wonderful," she said with a smile. "Carlisle between you and I do you think Victoria had a part in my mother's death?"

He paused for a moment and said, "Absolutely." He started walking toward the library as Alexandra smiled with victory. She held out hope that she would find the answers she was searching for in her mother's journal. She wanted to see if Victoria had poisoned her mother. She needed to know. If Victoria had any part in it she would have Victoria's head.

Alexandra received her mother's journals from Carlisle and took them to her bedchamber to read through them. Her mother was a happy woman much like she was. Her mother had written about how much she loved Alexandra's father. She read about the first time they had met, the night her mother knew that she was going to marry Prince Arthur and how Princess Victoria had tried to ruin her chances of marrying the young Prince that was close to becoming a King. The way her mother had spoken about her father brought a smile to her face. Alexandra understood the feelings as she too had the same feelings toward her husband. Her mother had a beautiful soul and a beautiful heart. She smiled as she read about their wedding day, the extravagance of marrying a young prince and how Victoria tried to destroy her wedding day by causing a carriage mishap on the way to the church. Despite the terrible things Victoria had done to her mother, she tried to find the good in Victoria.

"Carlisle told me I could find you in here," said Roman as he walked into his bed chamber to see Alexandra resting on their bed. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I'm just reading."

"What are you reading this time? A new romance novel?" he asked as he removed his boots before making his way over to his wife.

"No, I am reading my mother's journals," she answered. "I am reading about how she met my father. It was love at first sight. She loved my father deeply and loved him a lot."

"I am sure they were very in love," he said sitting down on the bed.

"You smell of Rum," she said flipping through the pages. "Were you with Dean?"

"Yes, I spent the afternoon at the pub."

"I hope that you had fun," she said with a smile as she flipped the pages. "I'm happy that you still keep in touch with your friends. I hope that you two stay friends for a long time. If you ever want to invite Dean to the castle you are more than welcome to. You can have a guy's night here."

"I'm sure that Dean would like that. He wants to meet you," he said.

"I'm interested in meeting him," she answered. "Is he married?"

"Dean is not the marrying type," he said with amusement. "He is a philanderer he doesn't believe in marriage."

"Oh so he is a scoundrel like you used to be?" she teased.

"Yes," he said before he kissed her lips softly. "You fell in love with me because I was a scoundrel."

"I fell in love with you because you have a good heart but your scoundrel side was appealing to me. You only wanted to bed me."

"Well, I believe I won the entire package not only did I bed you, I won your heart, married you and allowed my seed to take root in your womb. You were so upset that night," he said.

"Because you had no regard for my reputation," she responded.

"I couldn't let anyone else have you, you were going to wed Barrett."

"You already had me, the moment I showed up at your residence. You didn't need to spill your seed inside of me," she said, "but I'm happy that you did because if you hadn't we wouldn't be sharing this little bundle of joy together and having these beautiful moments right now. I can't wait until our child is born. You're going to be a wonderful father."

"I hope to be," he said placing his hand on her stomach and rubbing it softly. "I was thinking of changing the girl name we have chosen," he said. "Traditionally you don't follow the footsteps of a royal. I know you have a list of names you have to go by to name our child but I was hoping that we could name our daughter after my mother. Would you be okay with that?" he asked.

"Normally we have to name our child after someone in the family but I'm willing to bend the rules," she said, "what was your mother's name?"

"Vivian," he answered.

"That's a beautiful name," she said with a smile. "Princess Vivian, I love it. If we have a daughter her name will be Vivian Sophia Alexandra."

"Thank-you," he said, "it means a lot to me."

"I know how much your mother meant to you," she said with a smile as she brushed a piece of hair out of his face. "You're the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on."

"And you're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," he leaned over and kissed her lips softly again. "So what are you reading about?"

"Right now when my mother found out she was increasing, did you know that my mother and father conceived me before they were married. She told my father on their wedding night she was increasing. I guess I was a bastard child. If Victoria had gotten wind of that she could easily throw me from the throne."

"And I'm sure that's why your mother kept it a secret."

"She and Victoria did not get along well," she said.

"It takes a lot for someone to enjoy Victoria's presence. I shiver every time she's around," he said with amusement.

"Hold on," she said, "listen to this," she said as she began to read. "Today Arthur and I announced I am with child. Victoria was very upset about the news. She pulled me aside and told me I would regret becoming pregnant. She was terribly upset over the birth of Alexandra. Another child would push Victoria down the line of succession. She promised me I would regret this. I don't understand what that means but it was a threat."

"I thought you told me your mother was pregnant with you before she married your father," he questioned.

"She was but three years are missing from the journal," she said honestly. "This was when I was 3 years old," she said flipping through the journal. "There has to be a mistake," she said as she flipped through the pages. "My mother didn't write in her journal for three years?"

"Something has to be wrong," said Roman. "If your mother was increasing when you were three wouldn't you have a brother or sister?"

"Yes," she answered, "but my father never told me that. My father never mentioned my mother having a second child unless…"

"Unless your mother was with child while she was sick," he said.

"That is a possibility," said Alexandra as she read more of her mother's journal. "No, my mother had the child," said Alexandra with shock. "A little boy named Henry James," she said. "But two days after my mother delivered him he was taken from the nursery. They believed that one of the nannies was responsible but they could never prove it. My father had the nanny executed but they could not find my brother. And here we go, shortly after Henry's disappearance I began to get sick. Everything I ate made me sick. It has gradually gotten worse over the last few weeks. The doctors say they can't determine a cause. My hair started to fall out, I can't keep anything down and I grow weaker by the day. I barely remember my daughter Alexandra and her beautiful face. I have not seen her for weeks. The doctors incubated me because of my illness. Arthur came to visit me tonight. He is saddened by my illness. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at me, weak and broken. I'm trying to be strong, I'm trying to get better for him. The loss of Henry has devastated him. Alexandra needs her mother but I am not sure how much longer I can hold on. I am so weak. It is taking all my strength to hold this quill. If anything should happen to me I want my daughter to know I love her very much. I will always be with her and as for Arthur, I will never stop loving him. Not even leaving this earth could cease the love I have for him. It is time to go now." Alexandra wiped tears from her eyes. "That's it. There is no more," she said. "Where is my brother? Why was my mother so sick? Why don't I remember having a brother?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Roman. "I wish I could answer those questions for you but I am unable to. Maybe Carlisle has answers for you," he suggested. "I'm curious to know the answers too."

"I will find out," she said with determination.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra's support of Roman's friendship with Dean and her encouragement for them to stay friends? What do you think of Alexandra agreeing to name their baby Vivian instead of Adelaide if it's a girl? What do you think of her mother keeping journals? What happened to the three years of the journal that was missing? What about Alexandra having a brother? What happened to him and where is he? Will she ever find her brother? Why do you think Arthur never told Alexandra about Henry and why doesn't Alexandra remember him? Do you think Victoria is responsible for Henry's disappearance and Sophia's death? What do you think of Carlisle? Do you think he will give Alexandra the answers she seeks? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	25. Chapter 25

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. I also thank-you for your patience. It has been a long crazy week that kept me from writing then I was having uploading issues. I just thank-you for your patience.**

"Good morning, Your, I mean, Alexandra," said Carlisle as Alexandra made her way into the dining room with her husband to have breakfast with him before the events of the day separated them once again.

"Good morning, Carlisle," she said with a smile as he bowed to her and she nodded her head in return. Roman took her by the hand and led her to her seat at the table. Roman pulled the chair out for his wife and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as she took her seat before he took his seat at the other end of the table.

"Mr. Reigns," nodded Carlisle. "May I get you two anything? Your breakfast should be along shortly and we have had the food tested."

"I would love a cup of tea," answered Alexandra, "and Roman will have the same."

"Thank-you," said Roman with a nod before Carlisle left the dining room to prepare their tea. "Are you going to ask him about your brother; Prince Henry?"

"Yes, I am not sure he knows about him? I want to know why I don't remember having a baby brother or why my papa never mentioned to me that he had another child with my mother. It is strange he just disappeared one night and no one has done anything to search for him or find him."

"Maybe he is passed on," responded Roman. "I would think if your brother was alive out there that they would still be searching for him and not stopping until he was found."

"I do not understand, Roman," she said to him. Alexandra had been up most of the night trying to understand her Papa's reasons for never mentioning she had a baby brother and trying to understand why she did not remember her mother increasing. Alexandra was 3 years old when her mother passed away. Reading her journals brought more mystery into Alexandra's life. There were three years of her mother's life missing, nowhere to be found, she still didn't understand her mother's mysterious illness and now she was concerned about her baby brother that she had never met. She had her suspicions that Victoria had ordered for her brother to be taken from his nursery so he could not push her down the line, the only person standing in her way was Alexandra and now Alexandra's unborn child had become a threat to Victoria's rule. Alexandra was going to stop at nothing to prove that her aunt caused her mother's death, she didn't know how but she was going to make the discovery. "Everything I ever believed about life and knew about life is completely erased. I should have never read my mother's journals. I am more confounded than I was before they were in my grasp."

"I'm sure you will find answers, My Love. Has the orphanage sent word on their decision on Emma and her parentage?"

"Yes," responded Alexandra as Carlisle entered their dining room and gave them each a plate with eggs, cold ham and poured them each a cup of tea before living the dining room again to give them their privacy. They lacked privacy due to Alexandra being the queen, they barely received privacy outside of their bedchamber as a guard was always standing outside the door, a guard was with them at all times except during the breakfast and dinner hours where they enjoyed a meal together, peacefully and alone. "Emma's parents were killed at sea years ago," she said before taking a bite of her ham. "A band of pirates attacked their ship, they raided the ship for jewels and coin, they killed every man on board and took the women captive. Emma's mother was found murdered ashore along with many other women taken captive. Emma has been in the orphanage since she was 2 years old."

"That's terrible, a very horrific tragedy," he said. "That poor little girl," he said with sympathy in his voice. "I want to give her a life that she can be happy with. I want to give her joy."

"What better joy than to be the daughter of a Queen and a Prince," Alexandra smiled.

"Will they allow us to keep her?" he questioned.

"They are working on the paperwork and she will be ours," she said joyfully. "I'm happy to bring a little girl into the castle. I plan to have tea parties, play dolls and braid her hair. I never knew what it was like to be a mother but I'm going to learn quickly. I always wished I had my mother to grow up with me. I wished for tea parties, a mother to talk to about life's curses and a mother to guide me through life. I never experienced that," she said sadly. "I just want to be a mother to my children and allow them to come first before I worry about the throne of England."

"You'll be a wonderful mother, My Love," he encouraged with a smile as he ate his breakfast with his wife. "Are you going to spend the day at the orphanage?"

"Partly," she answered. "I have to go to the orphanage, check on my shops and my properties. I will be occupied most of the day. What is on your agenda for the day?"

"I wish to accompany you," he said with a smile. "Am I able to?"

"I would like that very much," she said with a smile. "We see each other very little and I am beginning to miss my Gypsy Lover," she smiled.

"I miss you too my Queen," He replied with a soft smile. "Your birthday is quickly approaching," he reminded her. "You will be ten and nine. Is there anything you wish to do?"

"I wish to have a masquerade ball here at the palace to celebrate. You are more than welcome to invite Dean to the celebration."

"I'm sure he will like that very much and a masquerade ball? I thought you detested such gatherings?"

"My pregnancy is reaching the end. It will not be long before I am unable to attend these gatherings so I would love to celebrate my birthday with a masquerade ball, invite villagers, royals and nobles to show England that I want to be as one including the Protestants and the Catholics," she said.

"We will work out the plans," he suggested with a smile. "I want you to have one of the best birthdays of your life," he promised.

"I appreciate it."

Alexandra's and Roman's day was filled with cleaning up the orphanage, giving the children new clothes, new beds, new toys and making the place look happier and less dreadful. They spent the day scrubbing the floors, sweeping the floors and painting the walls to make it more kid friendly and welcoming to children. Alexandra wanted the best for the orphanage and wanted the kids to feel what little joy they were able to and less dread from the loss of their parents. The children were grateful for all that Alexandra and Roman had done for the orphanage. They enjoyed spending time with the children and spending time with Emma getting to know her. Alexandra's heart had a soft side for children, she couldn't wait to have her child and to bring Emma home. She was ready to be a mother. As they finished up their time at the orphanage Alexandra and Roman rode into the village to visit Alexandra's shops to make sure business was running smoothly and the keepers were keeping them up. They collected rent from her property owners and took note of any issues the residents had with their property. Roman could not take his eyes off of Alexandra all day. She had a heart of gold. If he hadn't known she was a Queen he would not believe it. She was involved with the town and the townspeople, she made sure everyone was taken care of and she would give the blouse off her back to a person in need if she needed to. Her heart was full of grace, mercy, love and care. She was the purest and most passionate person he had ever met in his life. His heart swelled for his wife and the pride he had in her could not be expressed in words.

When Alexandra and Roman arrived home, Alexandra bathed and had her abigail dress her in a fitting mint green gown designed with flowers on the skirts. She pinned her long strawberry blonde hair up into a bun before she made her way down to the study where she bumped into Carlisle. "I'm sorry, Carlisle" she apologized.

"No harm done, Alexandra, did you enjoy your day?"

"Yes, it was entertaining and enjoyable," she answered with a soft smile.

"I'm glad," he smiled his soft smile to her.

"Carlisle, I read my mother's journals."

"You did? Already?"

"Yes," she answered. "I read them last night," she said before taking a seat from exhaustion.

"I hope they answered any unanswered questions you may have had," he said as he took a seat beside her.

"Just the opposite, Carlisle, I found even more unanswered questions, none of it makes any sense to me."

"I apologize," he responded, "what has you confounded?" he asked.

"There are three years missing from my mother's journals. She spoke of her pregnancy with me and then that was the final entry until I was three years old. Do you know what happened to those three years?"  
"I cannot say, Alexandra, I thought that she wrote in her journal every day."

"She seemed to up until she announced she was increasing with me then all the entries vanished and were picked up three years after I was born."

"That seems odd," he pondered. "I don't know what could have happened to those entries. No one else but your mother and I knew those journals existed. Your father knew of them but I don't think he would have done anything to the journals."

"Has my father ever read them?"

"I do not believe so."

"Have you ever read them?" she asked.

"They were not of my concern. I just put them in a safe place after your mother's death. I never read them."

"The first three years of my life did something happen that would make someone want to make those entries disappear?"

"I know that your mother and Victoria were at odds the first three years of your life. That was when their hatred for one another started to boil over. Your aunt was very jealous of your mother and her relationship with your father. She was also very jealous of you. Your mother and you posed a threat to Victoria. She and your mother were at odds over your birth. Your aunt wanted to harm you from the very beginning. She wanted you out of her way of the throne."

"Do you think that is why those three years are missing from the journals?"

"I cannot say. I wish I had the answers you seek but I do not. Is that the only thing that troubles you?"

"The entire journals trouble me because I can't pinpoint if Victoria is responsible for my mother's death. I believe she is but I need proof. My mother made mention of it but not enough for me to have Victoria's head."

"What do you wish to accomplish by having the truth? Your mother is dead, Alexandra she has been gone for some time. Trying to discover if Victoria had anything to do with it is unnecessary. I know in my heart that Victoria played a part in it and I am sure that you have the same feeling in your heart but without proof how can you execute her?"

"I will find my way to do it, Carlisle. She will pay for every heartache and pain she caused me and my family. I grew up without my mother. I can barely remember who she was, what she looked like, how she sounded, how she smelled, I don't remember. I was robbed of that because someone was selfish and decided to take my mother from me. It is not fair."

"I understand that you're upset but executing your aunt is not going to bring her back, Alexandra. You're going to be a mother, you're married and you're set to be the Queen of England enjoy that don't worry about Victoria."

"She remains a threat as long as she lives," she said. "Until she is dead I am not safe, my husband is not safe and my child is not safe."

"You have taken all the precautions you are able to," he said, "your family is safe."

"For now," she said, "there was something else I stumbled across in the journals. I discovered my mother gave birth to a Prince when I was three years old shortly before she died. I have a brother?"

"Prince Henry," he said solemnly. "The story is traumatic," he said.

"What happened to my brother? Why don't I remember having a brother? The pieces aren't adding up, Carlisle."

"You were young, you were 3 years old, Alexandra. Your brother was not too old when he was taken from the castle."

"What do you mean taken? I find it hard for a Prince to just disappear from the castle where were the guards, where were the nannies? Where were my parents, how did he just disappear?"

"It was late at night, Alexandra. The castle had fallen under attack, guards were fighting off a crowd of angry men that swarmed the castle. Your father locked you in your bedchambers, locked your mother in their bed chambers and went to fight the angry men. When the men were defeated your father went to Henry's nursery and he was gone."

"Just like that? Sounds like it was an inside job. You would have to know your way around the castle to remove an infant Prince from his nursery in such little time."

"Your father believed that for years but no one was able to remove the infant from the castle as we were all busy defending the castle."

"And have they never found my brother?" she asked. "Where is he? Why are we not still looking for the Prince?"

"We searched for years, they spent years looking but they never found him. He disappeared. Your father called off the search after 5 years. He believed that a child in your brother's condition would no longer be alive after 5 years of being outside the castle."

"My brother's condition?" she questioned.

"Your brother was very ill. He wasn't expected to live long. He was ill because of your mother's condition. He didn't look like other children. The doctor told your parents he would not survive long."

"So Prince Henry is dead?" she asked confused by the information she was given.

"We believe so, Alexandra," he answered.

"Why did my father never tell me about my brother?"

"It was a tough loss for your father. He lost his son in a castle raid and then shortly after he lost his wife. He chose not to speak of it. He knew you didn't remember and he didn't want to remind you. Do you know how you're feeling now because you never knew your brother?"

"I'm feeling confused, hurt and lost, everything in this world I have ever known has been a lie. How am I supposed to feel?"

"Your father wanted to keep it a secret, Alexandra. He didn't think it was worth mentioning. He didn't want to upset you by informing you that you had a brother that you will never meet."

"That wasn't his choice," she retorted. "He should have told me. I want to know where my brother is, Carlisle."

"Let it go, Alexandra, your brother is dead."

"He's not dead, was there a body?"

"Not to my knowledge," he said, "but there is no way that after all these years your brother is still alive. You need to leave this alone, Alexandra. It is not safe."

"I am supposed to just go on living knowing I have a brother and not search for him? I deserve to know him, he deserves to know me."

"Alexandra," he warned, "it is not a good idea."

"Carlisle, I am the Queen I will do as I please. I am calling on a search for Prince Henry. I will find him and bring him home where he belongs."

"You're strong-willed like your mother," he sighed, "Alexandra, just this once please listen to me. It is not safe to search for your brother. Leave it alone." But Alexandra did not care to listen. She stood up and excused herself from the study. Despite Carlisle's warning she began a search for Prince Henry.

 ***A/N: Why do you think Alexandra is so determined to prove that her Aunt Victoria is responsible for her mother's death? Why do you think Carlisle is telling her it's not important? What do you think of Alexandra not listening to Carlisle when it comes to Prince Henry? Do you believe that Prince Henry is still alive somewhere? What do you think of Roman and Alexandra hosting a ball for her 19th birthday? Is it a good idea? What do you think of Alexandra and Roman being able to adopt Emma, do you think they will both make good parents? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	26. Chapter 26

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

Weeks had passed since Alexandra started her search for her brother Henry. She had received no word as to whether he was alive or not. She hoped that he would be alive, she wanted to meet him, wanted to have a relationship with him but most importantly she wanted to bring him back to the life of royalty and into the castle where he belonged. She had men searching all throughout England and throughout countries surrounding England but they continued to discover nothing or anyone. No one knew who or what they were looking for. They were diving into history of babies found left behind or abandoned somewhere but that was all they were able to do and Prince Henry seemed to exist to no one. Alexandra wasn't going to give up until he was found even if Carlisle kept telling her that he was dead. He had no knowledge of Henry's well-being unless he himself had something to do with his disappearance which Roman was beginning to believe he had. "How long have you known Carlisle?" Roman asked his wife as he helped dress her in her red and black velvet gown.

"He has been around my entire life," she answered as he tightened the ribbons on her gown taking her breath away unable to hide her growing stomach any long. "Too tight," she said.

"I apologize My Love," he said loosening the ribbon. "Do you trust him?"

"I think so," she replied, "do you not trust him?"

"I am starting to believe he may have had something to do with your brother's disappearance maybe even the death of your mother."

"Why would you believe such a thing? Carlisle has never done anything to hurt anyone or gave me the impression he could be capable of such heinous acts. What's your reason?" she asked as he started to brush her long strawberry blonde hair.

"I have just been thinking about him, Alexandra. He stands out and is the only common element in everything. He was your mother's best friend?"

"I wouldn't call him her best friend but I would say that they were close she trusted him."

"And while he had her trust he could have used that against her for your aunt. Just think about the scenario, Carlisle is the only person that knew where the journals your mother had kept were and as you read them you saw that three years had been missing from the journals. If he was the only one that knew of the journals and where they were hidden he would have to know where those three years are. I think he knows exactly where they are and I believe that there was something in there that pointed to him and he wanted to hide all traces and all evidence of being involved in whatever was going on at the time. If no one else knew about the journals don't you believe he would know what happened to those three years that are missing?" he asked as he pulled her hair up into a bun.

"Carlisle is the only person that knew about the journals. Do you believe that he could have those three years or had them destroyed?"

"It seems likely. You believe your mother was poisoned am I correct?"

"There is not a doubt in my mind," she answered as she turned to face him her clear blue eyes meeting his grey orbs. "You don't think do you?"

"I don't think Victoria acted alone, Alexandra. Just think about this after the announcement of your mother's pregnancy Victoria grew jealous, very jealous. She made threats against your mother. Sister or not I do not believe that King Arthur would allow Princess Victoria any access inside the castle to protect not only your mother but you as well. I believe that Victoria needed to enlist help within the castle and why not choose the man closest to your mother next to your father? Carlisle had access to all of her food and all of her drink. He could have easily poisoned her when no one was looking before he delivered it to her. I know poison comes in all different shapes and forms but Carlisle had access to everything your mother came in contact with. I do not believe your father was capable of poisoning his own wife. He seemed to love her deeply."

"He loved her as much as I love you," she said with a soft smile as they took a seat in their bed chambers before the glowing fire. "My mother was my father's entire world after he lost her, he lost a piece of himself, he was never quite as happy as he had been. He was broken by her loss. My father was not capable of killing the love of his life."

"So who was the next person to have all the access to your mother and had her trust as much as your father?"

"Carlisle," she answered, her chest tightening and the pain in her stomach. She was feeling sick with the thought that Carlisle a man that helped raise her and had been there for her her entire life could be capable of helping take away her mother and taking away her brother from her life. "I don't want to believe it."

"I am not saying that it's true but I do not trust him. My gypsy instincts are telling me he is not a good person. I don't trust him. How else would a prince go missing from his nursery in the castle unless it was an inside job? I believe Carlisle helped to poison your mother for Victoria and helped to make your baby brother disappear. Have you noticed every time we discuss Prince Henry or the search for Prince Henry Carlisle tells us there's no need to search for him because he's dead because of his condition? It is as if he wants Prince Henry to be forgotten about. He is adamant about you ending the search for him, why? Then let's remember the three years missing from the journal. Maybe your mother had suspicions about Carlisle and was voicing them in her journal and when he read her journal after her death he destroyed the pages and hid the rest away in the library."

"The thought never occurred to me that would explain the missing pages but what grievance did he have against my mother that he would want to kill her or cause her harm? I do not understand."

"Maybe we need to find a reason but can we trust him around you? Around the baby? Around Emma?" he asked concern lacing his voice. "I think we should hire someone other than Carlisle, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you or our children."

"You're speculating," she said, "you don't truly know if Carlisle helped kill my mother or helped in my brother's disappearance."

"I'm not just speculating, Alexandra, I'm looking at all sides, I'm looking at it all from your aunt's threats, the missing pages of your mother's journal, Henry's disappearance and his adamant behavior about your search for Henry it doesn't make sense, Alexandra. Something is wrong here something is terribly wrong here. And he could have played a part in your father's death as well so what would stop him from hurting you?"

"My father was ill," she responded.

"Alexandra, the doctor could not determine cause for his illness and he experienced the same symptoms of your mother. I think he was poisoned like your mother and what will stop Carlisle or Victoria from doing the same to you?" he asked. "You cannot trust Carlisle," he said. "Not now after everything we discussed today."

"You're correct I do not trust Carlisle what do we do?"

"We find out more information on your mother's and your father's death, we dig more into Carlisle's history in the castle. Most importantly we find those missing pages of the journals and maybe we will discover the truth or discover something."

"And if they are destroyed?" she asked.

"I have no idea, Alexandra but I hope they are not destroyed and you will get more information about Henry from Carlisle," he suggested. "We will pretend nothing is wrong that we don't suspect a thing from Carlisle and live life normally."

"And if he tries to poison me?" she asked, "even though we don't know he had anything to do with either death."

"We will take precautions," he said as there was a knock on their chamber door. "You may enter," he commanded.

Seconds later Carlisle entered into Alexandra's and Roman's bed chambers, "Your Majesty," he said with a bow.

"Yes, Carlisle?" she asked trying to hid her nervousness and her uneasiness from him so that he didn't suspect anything was amiss.

"Lady Emma has arrived," he announced the arrival of their adopted child. A smile grew on Alexandra's face, "she is in the foyer," he announced.

"Thank-you, Carlisle," said Alexandra her nervousness turning to happiness and joy. She and Roman had been waiting weeks for Emma to arrive in their care and to arrive at the castle after all the paperwork was taken care of. "You're dismissed," she said with a soft smile. Carlisle bowed and exited the chambers. "She's here," said Alexandra with excitement making Roman smile with her childlike joy.

"Let's go meet our daughter," he said with a soft smile as he stood with his wife. His body filled with joy and excitement but his heart racing at the thought of now being a father. He had never thought the dream would happen after the death of his wife and their unborn child. He never expected to build his life back up, marry and become a father. He nearly ruled it out with the fear of being hurt again. Roman offered Alexandra his arm and she hooked her arm with his as they made their way out of their bedchambers before descending the spiral staircase made of marble.

Alexandra froze at the bottom of the staircase as she made eye contact with the child she and her husband had adopted. It was uncommon for a Queen to adopt but Alexandra was like no other Queen before her. Emma was beautiful despite her ragged appearance dressed in torn tights and a tight stained plaid gown that was too small for her and her hair dirty and tangled. Her blue eyes shining with joy as a smile reached her tiny lips. "Your Majesty!" she called out with a smile as she ran into Alexandra's waiting arms.

"Please call me, Mum," said Alexandra welcoming her with a tight hug. "Welcome to my family."

"Thank-you," she said softly as she dropped her favorite doll.

"Emma Duchess of Lexington," announced Carlisle with a smile as he watched the interaction between Emma and Alexandra. Alexandra made Emma a Duchess as she would never be labeled as a princess in the eyes of England and she wanted her daughter to have a title in her rank of royalty.

"Hello, Emma," said Roman as he knelt down with his wife and their new daughter. "We've been waiting for your arrival."

"Papa!" she called out as she wrapped an arm around him keeping one arm wrapped around Alexandra in a loving embrace they shared together as a family.

"Let's give you a tour of the palace," said Alexandra as their loving embrace finally broke, she took Emma's hand into hers and led her through the palace showing her the playroom Roman made for Emma as well as the library Alexandra loved as a child and hoped Emma would have the same love for reading. They took her through the kitchen introducing her to the cooks and introducing her to the guards and the men and women working in the castle. Alexandra and Roman took her upstairs to her bedroom that Roman had also designed and set up for her. "And this," said Alexandra opening the door to Emma's bedroom, "is your bedroom," she said allowing Emma to enter before her and Roman.

Emma looked around the room, taking in the sight before her and her blue eyes lit up. She was surrounded by walls painted pink with painted portraits on the wall of flowers and butterflies. The bed before her was made for a princess with a pink satin cover and a white canopy veil surrounding the bed with lots of pink satin pillows holding up teddy bears all shapes and sizes. There was a small wooden table in the room with a tea party set set upon it and many dolls sitting on the chairs surrounding the table. She ran over to the dolls and picked up a beautiful porcelain doll with dark hair dressed in a blue gown and her hair curled falling down to her back. She hugged the doll in her arms as she continued inspecting her bedchambers. The closet filled with beautiful gowns, a jewelry box on the dresser with earrings and different necklaces and a small crown sitting on top of the dresser. "I get to wear a crown?" she asked.

"We'll see," said Roman with a soft smile as he wrapped his arm around Alexandra's shoulders as their daughter took in her new room.

"I love this room, I love this palace," she said with a smile. "I love you," she said to Roman and Alexandra before giving them another hug.

"Welcome home," said Alexandra with a smile. "Let's get you cleaned up," she said with a soft smile, "and put on one of your new gowns," she said with a smile before calling for Emma's abigail to draw her a bath and to give her a bath before dressing her in a gown.

Alexandra and Roman waited for their daughter in their sitting room, reading before she came into the room announced by Carlisle, "Emma Duchess of Lexington."

Alexandra and Roman turned to see their daughter dressed in a beautiful light blue gown falling to her ankles covering the black boots on her feet. Her once dingy blonde hair cleaned and brushed into a tight bun on the top of her head and her face clear of dirt. She was a beautiful little girl and her blue eyes stood out with the blue gown she wore. "Emma," said Alexandra, "you look beautiful."

"Thank-you," she said with a shy smile as she played with her gown.

"You look like a Princess," said Alexandra, "and you know what every princess needs?" she asked before pulling out the small diamond crown that was on Emma's dresser in her bedchambers. "Every princess needs to wear a crown," she said with a soft smile before placing the crown onto Emma's freshly washed hair. She smelled of honey and lavender as Alexandra kissed the top of her head.

"Thank-you, Mummy," she said with a soft smile.

"And this is a special gift for you," said Roman as he handed her a pink amulet on a gold chain. "Welcome to the family," he said before he put it around her neck.

"Thank-you," she said admiring her new necklace. "I'm going to love it here," she said happily as Carlisle handed Alexandra a missive.

"Your Majesty," he said with a nod as he handed her the envelope.

Alexandra tore it open with the hopes of word on her brother but instead as she read the missive in her hands it was anything but happiness. She shivered as she read the bold words; **STOP SEARCHING YOU WILL BE SORRY!**

 ***A/N: What do you think of Roman's suspicions of Carlisle? Do you see his point? Do you believe that Carlisle could be responsible for the Queen's and the King's deaths? Is he worthy of their trust? What do you think of Emma being adopted by them? What did you think of their family meeting? Do you think Emma is a good fit for their family? What did you think of the missive delivered to Alexandra? Who do you think it's from? Do you think she should stop her search for Henry? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"Carlisle, where did you get this?" asked Alexandra as she looked up from the missive in her hand. Roman judged her body language to be anxious and nervous. He stood up with concern etched on his face for his wife. Something about her demeanor and the way she spoke didn't sit well with him; something had shaken her up.

"It was delivered," he responded.

"When was it delivered?" asked Alexandra.

"A while ago," he said as Alexandra handed the missive to Roman.

"That was delivered to me," she explained as he took it into his hand. "Yet I heard no sound of a visitor."

Roman read over the missive, he read the warning sent to his wife and looked at Carlisle. "Who sent this?"

"I do not know, Sir," he said. "It was delivered by a footman. I do not know who sent it, Your Majesty," he said.

"I heard no scratch or knock on the door," implied Roman. "How is a missive delivered but with no scratch or knock on the door? Maybe it was delivered from within the castle walls, where did the missive come from Carlisle?"

"I don't know," he answered. "It was delivered to me by a footman. You were with Lady Emma when it was delivered."

"It is a threat on my wife, a threat against the Queen of England, I need to know where this missive came from and who the footman was that delivered it," Roman said, he could feel the panic and rage inside of him intertwining. He was fearing for his wife's life but upset that Carlisle could give him no information. "What is so wrong with Prince Henry that everyone is afraid of him coming back to court and why everyone is telling Alexandra to stop searching for her brother? What is wrong with him?"

"It is not safe to search for the child kidnapped from the palace walls," said Carlisle. "You don't know who took him, it could be a group of people that want to harm the Queen and King. There is no hope of finding the child alive," he said. "There is none it has been too long."

"But you don't know that," said Alexandra, "you don't know if he is alive or dead."

"With his condition," he paused, "there's no possible way for him to be alive."

"Roman," she said, "Let Carlisle and I have a moment of privacy. I will join you and Emma out in the courtyard shortly."

"I don't know, Alexandra," he said with concern in his voice. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be all right because if I am not, someone will lose their head," she said shooting a glance in Carlisle's way.

"Are you sure, Baby?" he whispered as he hugged her.

"I'm sure," she whispered back into his ear. "I'll be fine. I love you."

"I love you too," he said softly before kissing her lips softly. "If you need me, Emma and I will be out in the stables."

"All right, My Love," she said with a smile as her blue eyes sparkled in the light shining through the palace window.

"Emma, I'm going to show you the stables," he said scooping her up into his arms. "You're going to love it out there, I'll show you the horses."

"I love horses," she said with a smile before Roman looked at Alexandra one more time. She nodded to him that she would be all right and he nodded back before taking his leave with Emma.

"Sit down!" Alexandra commanded before she started to pace the study.

Carlisle looked at Alexandra with large startled blue eyes, "but your majesty," he said.

"SIT DOWN!" she commanded once again in a raised tone shocking not only herself but Carlisle as well. Alexandra was not known to raise her voice. She was always even tempered. Nothing really upset her until she was made to be a fool and it seemed as if Carlisle was trying to make a fool out of her. Carlisle went to speak and Alexandra shot him a glare that was as icy as the winter snow. "Sit down," she said through gritted teeth, her fists balled at her sides.

"Yes Your Majesty," he said with a bow, his head down as he took a seat. Alexandra paced the study as Carlisle watched her with his blue eyes.

"Do you think I am a fool, Carlisle? Do you think because I am a woman I do not possess the intelligence that a man would or the intelligence my father possessed?"

"Alexandra," he said softly.

"Answer the question, do you think I am a fool, ignorant uneducated? I assure you I am neither. I have gained the education my father wished of me, I am no fool who sent the missive, Carlisle?"

"I do not think you're uneducated or a fool, Your Majesty," he answered. "I told you that the missive was delivered by a footman. I am not lying to you, I am being true."

"If I find out that you are lying to me, that you have any ounce of untruth with me I will have your head are we clear and if you're working with Victoria I will have both of your heads is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, "if you believe I am guilty of any wrong doing or believe I am working against you, why don't you take my head now?"

"Because for now you are better to me alive than you are dead, you're the only one that knows about my mother's journals and you're the only one that knows about Henry and you are the only one that can help me so let's talk," she said before she took a seat with him. "Tell me what happened to the three years between my mother's announcement of increasing with me and the day my brother was born, where are those three years, Carlisle?"

"I didn't know that any pages were missing from the journals," he said. "I thought they were all there. Maybe your mother stopped writing when you were born you were everything to her. She spent every waking moment with you. She loved you tremendously you were her pride and joy. You were a child that didn't sleep much and most of your mother's nights were spent in the nursery with you, she didn't allow a nanny to care for you, she wished to care for you herself. Every moment of her life was dedicated to you and your father. She may not have had time for writing or maybe there was something in the journal she didn't want anyone to know. I have no answers, Alexandra," he said. "I apologize. I knew nothing of the missing years."

"I'm not sure I believe you but we'll figure that out at another time what I want to know is why I don't remember my mother being pregnant or the birth of my brother, I don't even remember him."

Carlisle let out a sigh and began to speak, "your mother began showing signs of illness when she learned she was increasing with Henry. Your father believed the earlier signs of illness were from morning sickness but as her pregnancy increased her illness didn't cease, she continued to grow sicker and sicker. She was growing weaker each month she carried Henry. She nearly died during childbirth. She was very weak when she had Henry. Leading up to his birth she just got weaker. We couldn't figure it out, the doctor believed it was terminal. He didn't give your mother much time but no one knew the severity of her illness they quarantined her from you and everyone around her. That's why you can't remember her pregnancy because shortly after she found out she was increasing she was quarantined."

"That explains why I never saw her for almost a year. I wanted to see her but my father never allowed me to, he said it was too dangerous I understand now. The doctor never determined what her illness was?"

"He couldn't figure it out which is why he quarantined her. No one knew the severity of her disease and they feared for the baby inside of her."

"So everyone left me in the dark?"

"You were 3 years old, Alexandra, no one wanted to worry you."

"I lost my mother," she said. "I lost my mother and I was a little girl do you know how many wonderful things she has missed in my life? I wish she was here now."

"You wouldn't have understood."

"I loved her, I still love her," she said. "And what of my brother, how come I never met him? Everyone just wanted to hide him from me?"

"That was not the plan, Alexandra, no one wanted to hide Henry from you, no one was hiding him," he said. "When he was born," he began. "He wasn't like other children. His face was deformed, he had a deformity. His face, I can't describe it. He was deformed, he was sickly. Your mother almost died giving birth to him, there was a lot of blood, Henry didn't even cry at first until the doctor spanked him to life. Your mother grew weaker after his birth and Henry was born naturally weak. He cried all the time, he wouldn't eat, his face, it was deformed. The doctor believed he was sick too, he believed that the illness your mother had was passed on to him. He was quarantined as well and he was not allowed to have any visitors. The doctor gave him two months to live at most. No one believed Henry would survive. The night the castle was raided and attacked, Henry went missing and no one found him after that."

"And everyone just stopped looking?" she asked.

"They did not have a choice," said Carlisle. "After a couple months, no child in sight they presumed him to be dead, your father called off the search."

"I believe he is still out there, alive somewhere," she said. She believed it in her heart that her brother was still alive, the feeling was indescribable something deep down was telling her not to stop looking, she felt a connection to her brother and believed he was alive. It was just a matter of finding him.

"If he is," said Carlisle, "it's not wise to look for him. Whomever took him from the castle is dangerous, they may even be against the crown. They would harm anyone that got in their way. It's not wise, Alexandra, you need to stop the search."

"I will not give up until my brother is found," she said, "he's out there Carlisle, I know that he is and he needs to be brought back to the castle where he belongs."

"He could overthrow your rule," he warned.

"I am the first heir to the throne," she reminded him. "Henry would not overthrow my rule."

"If they wish for a male ruler; he could throw you from your rule," he said.

"How about I find my brother first then worry about that?"

"I really believe you should stop your search," he said, "but you're as strong-willed as your mother."

"Thank-you," she said proudly. "You're dismissed but one more thing, Carlisle, if I find out you have any ill intent toward my family or me, if you had anything to do with Henry's disappearance or my mother's death your head will be mine is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said before he took his leave. Alexandra let out a sigh and made her way to the stables to see Roman and Emma.

Alexandra walked to the stables with her guards following behind her, everyone needed to be cautious with the situation at hand that searching for her brother and being the Queen of England she was in danger because of her enemies. Alexandra smiled as she saw Roman and Emma petting one of the horses in the stables. "You two look like you're enjoying yourselves," she said with a smile.

"We are," answered Roman, "how did everything go with Carlisle?"

"We came to an understanding," she said. "I think I was clear enough the consequences of going against me."

"And the search for Henry?"

"I'm not calling it off, I'm not stopping until my brother is found."

"But the note," he said, "that doesn't scare you?"

"I don't fear easily," she said with a smile, "I didn't fear you did I?"

"No but you sure turned me away enough times," he said with a smile.

"But I love you so much," she said with a smile.

"I love you too," he said with a smile. "This is where we had our first kiss."

"I remember it well," she said as her cheeks turned pink, "my first kiss I ever had. You took my breath away."

"You stole my breath and my heart the moment I first saw you," he said with a smile. "I never thought our kiss would lead us to this," he said, "I like the road it took us on."

"Me too," she said, "tell me you support my decision to keep the search going."

"I support you in everything you do, Alexandra but something tells me that if I asked you not to search for him you wouldn't stop. You're strong-willed and beautiful," he said with a smile. "Two things I admire most about you."

She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and then said, "so Emma what do you think of the horses?"

"I love them," she said. "I always wanted a horse."

"Well, now you can have your very own horse, you can have this horse," said Alexandra with a smile.

"I can have my own horse?" she asked with a smile.

Alexandra got down onto Emma's level and took her tiny hand into hers. Emma's eyes lit up as she looked into Alexandra's blue eyes and a smile came across her face. "Emma, you're a princess now you can have whatever your heart desires and more but you know what the most important thing you're going to get from your papa and I?"

"What?" she asked with a big smile showing her tiny teeth. Alexandra couldn't help but to smile. Emma was one of the most beautiful children she had ever laid eyes upon and her beautiful blue eyes reminded her of blue diamonds.

"We're going to love you forever with all our hearts and we're going to make sure you're always happy." Emma threw her arms around Alexandra and hugged her tightly. Alexandra hugged her back with a smile, "I love you, Emma."

"I love you too, Mama," she said taking in Alexandra's lavender scent as she hugged her tight. She couldn't remember the last time she had been hugged or told that she was loved. She was happy to be with Roman and Alexandra, grateful to feel a parent's love once again after the tragic loss of her own mama and papa. Alexandra was going to do everything in her power to make sure Emma knew she was loved and planned to give her endless kisses and hugs every day because she was grateful to have a daughter and happy to make a beautiful life for Emma; one she deserved.

 ***A/N: Do you think that Alexandra and Roman can trust Carlisle? Do you trust Carlisle? Do you believe he is telling the truth? Is he looking out for himself or Alexandra when he asks her to call off the search for Henry? Do you believe Alexandra feels a connection to her brother or is it just hope to find him? Why is it so important for Alexandra to find the brother she never knew existed? Who do you believe sent the note to Alexandra? Should she be worried? What do you think of Alexandra's personality? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	28. Chapter 28

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

Emma ran through the castle hallways hearing her papa count to 20 as she looked for a place to hide so that he could seek her in their game of hide and seek. Emma found an empty room in the castle. She opened the door quietly and shut it quietly. She looked around the library of the castle for a place to hide. She smiled as she found a small closet in the library. She ran to the closet, opened the door and climbed inside, shutting the door slightly behind her enclosed by darkness. She giggled as she heard the library door open and began waiting for her papa to search for her but she realized the footsteps she had heard didn't belong to Roman or Alexandra. She stood quietly in the closet as she heard the voices starting to speak. "I thought your note would tell her to stop searching for her brother," said the female voice.

"I thought that it would I believed that Alexandra would have given up her search after the note but you know she's as stubborn as her mother was," said the male voice; Emma recognized the voice of their butler Carlisle. "I thought that maybe it would frighten her but it made her more determined. She's threatening to have me beheaded if she finds out the truth."

"She will never find out the truth if you don't allow her to know the truth. She's getting close to finding Henry, we cannot allow that to happen," said the female as Emma listened to them quietly.

"If she discovers that you or I had anything to do with his disappearance you and I will be put into the guillotine."

"So be it," she said. "What do you want me to do with Henry?" she asked.

"Let her discover him, he's too simple to know the truth," he said. "If we keep preventing her from finding her brother she's going to grow more determined to find him. We don't want that to happen because if it happens you and I will be discovered as the responsible party that killed her mother and kidnapped her brother."

"Let's just kill him like we should have done years ago."

"Or we could use him against the Queen to give up the throne, maybe if she is blackmailed by an anonymous person to give up the throne for her brother maybe she will make the right choice and give up the throne. She is too young to rule a whole country," said Carlisle as Emma continued to listen to their plot for her mother.

"I have been saying that since the death of her father, good job with that," she said. "I thought he would never pass."

"It did take longer than Queen Sophia," he said with a smile.

"What makes you so certain that Alexandra will give up the throne for her brother?"

"She is desperate enough to reunite with her brother, she would do anything to be reunited with him," said Carlisle with a sly smile. "If you black mail her you may be able to take the throne."

"And what of the brat? I would only be a regent Queen until her child is old enough to take its rightful place as the King or Queen. That little bastard stands in my way of becoming Queen," said Victoria angrily as Emma wrinkled her nose trying to hold back a sneeze but her nose tickled and she lost control. She let out a loud sneeze. "What was that?" panicked Victoria. "Who's in here?" she asked looking around the library.

"There shouldn't be anyone in here," said Carlisle as he looked around the room. Emma tried to bury herself in the dark closet without making a sound.

"You told me no one would be in here," snapped Victoria.

"There shouldn't be," he responded. "Alexandra is in negotiation with Ireland, Roman and Emma are playing," he said. "There should be no one in this God forsaken library please promise me when you take over the castle you destroy this library." Carlisle and Victoria looked around the room, looking under tables, beside bookshelves. Carlisle held his finger up to his lips and put his hand on the doorknob of the closet. Victoria nodded as Emma ruffled in the closet making more noise. Carlisle pulled the door open and was greeted by Emma's wide blue eyes. "Get out here," he snapped at her as he pulled her from the closet. "What are you doing in there?" he asked.

"P-p-playing," she answered nervously.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to eavesdrop on adult conversations?" asked Victoria. "What were you doing in there?"

"I didn't know you were going to be in here," she said honestly and nervously, the tears burning her eyes. "Please I'm sorry. I was just playing with Papa."

"Is that right?" asked Carlisle, "what did you hear?"

"N-n-nothing," she lied nervously.

"You know little girls that don't tell the truth go back to the orphanage. It's not good for you to sneak around the castle and eavesdropping on others' conversations. I hope you don't tell your Mother and Papa anything you heard here today."

"I won't," she promised. "I won't."

"Wonderful because you know little girls that break the rules like you have done today and tell stories get into trouble. You don't want to be sent back to the orphanage do you?" he threatened, "because if you cannot follow the rules and Queen Alexandra discovers your sneaking around and eavesdropping she will send you back to the orphanage, do you want to go back to the orphanage?" he asked.

"No," she said sadly. "I love it here."

"Then you'll behave yourself won't you, Emma?" he asked, threatening her making her feel scared and uncomfortable.

"Yes," she said as her Papa Roman came into the library. "Papa!" she yelled as she ran into his arms.

"Hello," he said with a smile scooping her up. "I thought I was supposed to find you, not have you run to me," he said with a small laugh.

"You found me, Papa," she said with a smile as she hugged him tightly. "I don't want to play anymore," she said.

"Is there something else you want to do? Anything else you would like to play?"

"No, Papa," she said softly as Roman caught a glimpse of Victoria and Carlisle.

"Victoria," he said, "I thought you were banned from the castle, how did you get in here?" he asked.

"I am taking my leave," she said quickly before excusing herself from the library to avoid any confrontation with Roman. "We will talk later, Carlisle," she promised.

"I look forward to it," he said before he felt Roman's grey eyes on him.

"Carlisle," he said. "What was she doing here? If Alexandra had been home you would have distressed her, you know Victoria is not welcomed here."

"I apologize for my error," replied Carlisle. "I will take my leave, Sir," he said. "Emma, remember what we discussed."

"I remember," replied Emma before Carlisle pinched her tiny cheeks and took his leave.

"Are you all right, Emma?" asked Roman.

"Yes, Papa," she said but something in her voice told her that she wasn't all right and something was amiss. He wasn't sure what occurred with Emma, Carlisle and Victoria but Emma looked frightened and worried. He didn't want to press her for the truth and upset her. "Can I have a book to read, Papa?" she asked.

"Of course," he said with a smile. "Let's take a look," he said putting her down onto her feet and taking her hand as they browsed through the library trying to find a book for Emma. Emma came across a book about fairytales and fables. She pulled it from the shelf with a smile on her face and handed it to Roman. "Do you want me to read this to you?"

"Yes, Papa," she said with a pleading smile, Roman couldn't resist and he took her into his lap as they sat down and he began to read to her. "Papa, would you or mommy ever send me back to the orphanage?" she asked interrupting him mid-story.

"Of course we wouldn't," he answered honestly, "this is your home now and you're part of our family. We would never send you back to the orphanage," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Papa," she answered nervously.

"Why would you ask if your mummy and I would ever send you back to the orphanage? Are you scared that we would?" She nodded looking up at him with her bright blue eyes. "You shouldn't fret, Emma, you're here to stay. You're our family now we will never send you back."

"Even if I did something bad?" she asked.

"Even if you did something bad," he said with a smile. "We love you, Emma. You're not going anywhere. I promise," said Roman.

"You really promise?" she asked.

"Cross my heart," he said in a promising tone. "I love you, Emma and your Mummy loves you so much. You have no idea how happy you've made us since you've arrived."

"I love you too," she said with a smile before she reached up and gave Roman a kiss on the cheek. "Keep reading, Papa," she said with a smile causing him to smile. He began reading again as she cuddled up next to him getting lost in a world of fantasy and wonder.

Alexandra arrived back at the castle in the darkness of the night. She was greeted by Carlisle as she made her way into the castle with her guards at her sides. She nodded to Carlisle as she walked passed him acknowledging his nod. Since their last conversation Alexandra's relationship with Carlisle had changed. There was a rift between them, they were no longer friends. He was no longer the man she knew growing up. She knew he held dark secrets inside of him but she could not prove what she believed. She knew he could not be trusted but it was better to keep her enemies closer than further from her. He had become a servant to her and nothing more. She missed his company but most importantly she missed the man she thought he was.

Alexandra climbed the spiraling staircase to her bedchambers as her guards kept watch over her. She stopped by Emma's bedchamber and walked into her room. She smiled to see her asleep on the counterpane. She slept so peacefully she looked like an angel. She leaned over and kissed the top of her blonde hair and covered her up. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, Mummy," said Emma in a sleepy voice. "You're home."

"I am," said Alexandra with a smile. "But you should go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning all right?"

"All right, Mummy," she said with a soft smile melting Alexandra's heart. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Princess Emma," she said with a smile before kissing her forehead as Emma closed her eyes. Alexandra snuck quietly out of her bedchamber shutting the door behind her. "Keep a close eye on her please," she told the guards standing outside the door. "She's my world."

"Yes, Your majesty," said one of the guards with a nod. Alexandra made her way down the hall to her bedchamber.

"I'm home," Alexandra said quietly as she entered her bedchamber to be greeted with a soft kiss on the lips from her husband, a fire burning.

"How did everything go with Ireland," he asked helping her out of her overcoat.

"We have a new exclusive trading partner," she said with a smile.

"Congratulations, I'm proud of you."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile as they made their way over to the sitting area of their bedchamber. "How were things here while I was out?"

"Victoria came for a visit," he said honestly.

"Victoria was here in my palace?" she asked as Roman took off her boots. "She's not welcome here."

"I had no idea she was even in the castle until I went to seek Emma. We were playing hide and seek. I found her in the library with Carlisle and Victoria," he said, "I didn't feel good about it. Victoria left before I could have her removed."

"She's learning," said Alexandra loosening the bun from her hair allowing her strawberry blonde hair to fall over her shoulders. "What was she doing here with Carlisle?"

"I have no idea, Alexandra," he said massaging her shoulders releasing the tension she had been feeling. "I didn't get a chance to ask. Emma seemed out of sorts."

"Explain," she commanded to her husband. "What do you mean out of sorts?"

"I don't know how to explain it, Alexandra, I think Carlisle may have said something to her. She seemed nervous around him when I came into the library and before he took his leave he told her to remember what they talked about."

"What does that mean?" asked Alexandra. "What did he say?"

"I do not know," he said. "Don't get upset, Love you know what the doctor has said about getting upset it's not good for the baby you're supposed to take it easy, as easy as the Queen can take it," he said with an amusing smile before he leaned down and kissed her neck softly. "Emma did ask if we were going to send her back to the orphanage."

"Of course not," said Alexandra horrified at the thought. "We would never do such a thing did you talk to her about it."

"I promised her we would never take her back to the orphanage because she is part of our family and she brings us joy. I told her that we love her so much."

"Carlisle must have said something to her," said Alexandra.

"After their interaction she was out of sorts until we read a book together."

"I don't trust him, Roman," she said uneasily as he squeezed her shoulders for comfort, "but if I fire him he could retaliate," she said.

"I know," he answered. "We'll figure it out and maybe we can speak with Emma to maybe get some information from her. There is more to what I walked into," he said, "but you've had a long day. You need to get some rest and we can handle everything in the morning. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful," she said with a yawn. "I'm sorry I'm not able to satisfy your needs."

"Don't fret, Love you and the baby are most important," he said. "I'm not upset, I want you to be well rested and healthy your needs come before mine."

"I will make it up to you, I promise," she said with a smile.

"I look forward to it but right now I want you to get some rest," he said lightly. "I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too," she said with a smile before she kissed his lips softly, "so much more than you'll ever know. You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

"You're the best thing that happened to me," he said with a smile. "We're going to figure everything out and everything is going to be fine, I promise."

"I hope so," she said with a nod.

 ***A/N: What did you think of the truth about Carlisle and Victoria coming out? Are you surprised that they worked together to take Henry and to kill the King and Queen? Is anyone safe with them around? What do you think of their plot against Alexandra to get her off the throne? Do you think they will succeed? What did you think of Carlisle scaring Emma into believing that if she tells her parents the truth she will go back to the orphanage? Do you think Alexandra and Roman will get the truth from her when they talk to her? What do you think Alexandra should do with Carlisle; fire him or keep him around to keep an eye on him? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	29. Chapter 29

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!**

"Are you feeling okay, Love?" Roman asked his wife as she stopped mid-stride on their way to talk with Emma about what occurred with Carlisle and Victoria the previous day.

"Just a little pain," she responded as she picked up her stride. "I'll be all right," she promised.

"Should I call the physician to come do an exam? You know what he said about getting upset and getting overwhelmed. It's not healthy for you or the baby. Maybe I should call him just to make sure everything is all right."

"No," she said placing her hand on his forearm. "I promise I am well. I just get pain from the baby kicking from time to time. Do you want to feel it moving?"

"I can feel it?" he asked with a small smile. "I can actually feel the baby moving?"

"You should be able to," she said with a smile as she took his hand into hers. "Just touch right here," she said placing his hand on her growing stomach. The baby moved inside her womb and she said, "do you feel it?"

"That's beautiful," he said with a smile as he kept his hand on her stomach as the life within her moved and flipped about. He felt a sense of pride that he and Alexandra created something so precious, so beautiful. He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of their unborn child. He was anxious to see if they were blessed with a son or a daughter; a son being preferred by many but he wanted a healthy baby. That's all that mattered to him. He wanted to know if the baby would favor his Romanian gypsy ancestry or would the baby favor Alexandra and her fair skin, light hair and light eyes. He was certain their child would be the most beautiful creature he ever laid his eyes upon. "It is really active," he said.

"I never thought I would feel so much movement," she said with a smile. "If I hadn't known better I would say there are two babies in there but that's impossible."

"Two babies? Twins?" he asked nervously.

"Hypothetically but sometimes it feels like two little lives are growing in my womb."

"That would be frightening, I'm just learning how to be a father to Emma, I am nervous about having one baby I couldn't imagine having two babies."

"You need not worry, Love. There is one baby," she said with a smile as she took his hand into hers and they descended down the spiral staircase of the palace.

Roman and Alexandra took their seats at the dining room table and were shortly joined by their daughter Emma. Carlisle came into the dining room to wait on them, seeing if there was anything he could bring to them. Alexandra and Roman requested tea with biscuits while Emma requested milk with porridge. Carlisle left the dining room with a guard trailing behind him to observe and make sure the food and tea made it to Alexandra, Roman and Emma clean and free of any harm. "Good morning, Emma," said Alexandra with a smile.

"Good morning, Mummy," she said with a shy smile.

"Come," said Alexandra with a smile patting her lap. Emma walked over to Alexandra and climbed onto her lap. "How are you?"

"I'm well, Mummy," she said with a soft childlike smile.

"Papa, told me you were asking about going back to the orphanage yesterday, why would you believe we would send you back to the orphanage?"

"If I did something bad," she responded with her head down as Alexandra ran her fingers through her hair. "I wouldn't want to go back to the orphanage."

"Why would you believe you did something bad, Emma? You're a wonderful little girl and you mean so much to your Papa and I. You could never do anything bad and even if you did we would not send you back to the orphanage. Your home is with us here in the palace. We would never send you back to the orphanage, we love you too much and you're our family. "

"I'm never going back to the orphanage?"

"Never," said Alexandra with a smile as she tapped her tiny nose. "You're here to stay."

"I want to stay forever," she said with a smile. "Do you promise?"

"I promise," she said with a smile before she kissed her forehead. "Papa told me you were talking to Carlisle and Princess Victoria yesterday?"

"Yes, Mummy," she said softly.

"Did Carlisle say anything to you that would scare you or make you believe that we would send you back to the orphanage?"

"No, Mummy," she lied.

"You understand that if he did you can tell Papa or me."

"I know Mummy," she said. "Everything was good," she said.

"You seemed scared, Emma," interrupted Roman. "Are you positive that they didn't scare you?"

"Yes, Papa," she said with a nod. "They did not scare me. Carlisle and Princess Victoria do not like Mummy."

"They don't?" asked Alexandra not surprised by the fact that they do not favor her. "They said that?"

"They don't want you to be Queen," said Emma, "and they were talking about someone named Henry."

"Henry?" asked Alexandra. "Do they know where Henry is?"

"I think so," said Emma. "Princess Victoria and Carlisle said they were going to kill him or have you find him."

"Is that so?" asked Alexandra, "they said that?"

"Yes, Mummy, please don't send me back to the orphanage for telling you," she cried.

"Oh, Emma," she said hugging her. "We're not sending you back to the orphanage," she said. "I love you," she said kissing away her tears as Carlisle came into the dining room. It took everything in Roman not to attack Carlisle as he walked into the dining room. He was better alive than dead. He could help them find Henry. "Carlisle," said Alexandra. "You're dismissed from your duties as the servant of the Queen of England."

"Your Majesty?" he asked dropping the tray of food.

"You're fired," she said, "but before we send you to your cell, you will help us find Henry."

"My cell? What are my crimes?" he asked.

"Treason against your Queen," said Alexandra, "Guards!" she summoned. Two of her guards came to her aide. "Shackle him, prepare him for our voyage, we're going to find my brother today," said Alexandra, "and fetch Princess Victoria. She will share a cell with Carlisle, her charge, treason," she said with a smile as she filled with joy she could finally punish Victoria for her crimes. She would find out more and then she would have both of their heads. The guards shackled Carlisle as Alexandra stood to her feet, stumbling slightly as she felt light headed. "Carlisle, you will lead me to my brother," she said, "if you refuse I will have your head by evening."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I want a search done of Carlisle's room," ordered Alexandra, "and a search of Princess Victoria's home." One of the guards nodded and set off to arrest Princess Victoria before they held a search of her properties and a search of Carlisle's home.

Alexandra much to Roman's dismay traveled alone with three of her guards and a shackled Carlisle to find Henry. He didn't want her to go alone but she insisted it would be better for Henry that it just be Alexandra no one knew what his condition was. "How could you do this, Carlisle, I trusted you. You were like family to us."

"You're too young to be Queen, Alexandra, too naïve you married a gypsy man," he said. "Ruling over England is not for you Victoria deserves to be queen."

"Over my dead body," she responded. "I love my country and I will be a great ruler."

"That could be arranged, Alexandra," he threatened.

"You're in no position to threaten me," she said.

"You don't understand," he said, "arresting myself and Victoria that is a mistake. The nobles will not have it. Many of your enemies will not have it and they will revolt against you. You're endangering your life and the lives of those you love. You're endangering England," he said. "The revolution will happen and you cannot stop it. They will rise up against you. Do the right thing, Alexandra, give up the throne to the rightful Queen and leave England."

"I am the rightful Queen. I am the heiress to the throne. I am the rightful Queen. Victoria is nothing. She will never be Queen."

"Do not say I didn't warn you," he said, "you will regret your choice. Arresting your aunt and myself is proof you're not ready to rule the country. You're bringing harm to everyone around you. Step down, release us," he said.

"I cannot do that," she responded. "You committed treason, there is no escape from your punishment. How could you do this to my mother? You knew how much she loved Henry, how could you put her through the agony and my father?"

"You were enough trouble, I thought your father would send you off to boarding school one day after your mother died but he was determined to keep you in the castle, have tutors come to the castle to teach you your studies. Had we gotten rid of you, we could have easily gotten rid of your father and Victoria would have ruled until you came of age but your father ruined those plans and with Henry missing and you away at boarding school underage Victoria would have been crowned Queen."

"Regent Queen," she corrected. "And I would have come back to take my rightful place as the heir to the throne of England."

"Unless you disappeared we would have had no choice but to make Victoria the Queen of England but your father was stubborn and loved you too much. We had to take care of your father just like we needed to take care of your mother," he said. "And after we took care of your father, we were going to take care of you but you could not allow that to happen," he confessed. "You needed to run off marry that gypsy man and get pregnant with that bastard child you're carrying. You ruined everything Alexandra."

"You and Victoria killed my father and my mother?"

"Don't act naïve," he said, "you knew the truth all along."

"Carlisle, my parents trusted you."

"Victoria is the rightful Queen of England. She should have taken the throne before your father. She was robbed from her rightful right."

"My grandmother delivered my father first," she said.

"So the doctor recalls," he said, "Victoria was born minutes before your father, the throne belongs to her, Alexandra."

"My father is Victoria's twin?"

"Don't be stupid girl," he yelled. "Boy girl twins are difficult to determine a ruler. King Arthur or Prince Arthur came minutes after Queen Victoria but he was given the throne because he was a male and Victoria was not."

"But my grandmother ruled England."

"Because there was no male heir," he said. "You really are too stupid to be Queen. Do the right thing Alexandra, I take you to your brother, you give up your crown, release us and leave England."

"I will not turn my back on my country," she said. "I will not betray my people like you have done. You have committed two murders, kidnapping and treason. You will not walk away from your crimes."

"There is no proof, Alexandra," he said. "There is no proof of our crimes."

"It will be proven," she said, "I promise you that, Carlisle, now direct him where to go."

The carriage pulled up to an abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere after a morning of travel. They hid Henry well so that no one could find him. The guard helped Alexandra out of the carriage as a shackled Carlisle sat in the carriage while she was finally going to meet the brother she had never met before. The guard guided her inside after making sure the barn was safe. It had smelled wretched in there of rotten food and floor was covered with dirt. The guard took Alexandra to the stables that once held horses. They stopped at a stable that had a boy sitting in a corner rocking back and forth, mumbling to himself in the darkness. "Henry," said Alexandra softly.

The young man stopped rocking and mumbling before he slowly turned around. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't expecting to see the face she had seen. Henry suffered from a facial deformity causing his lip to curl up to his nose and his yellow rotten teeth sticking out. He shuddered when he saw Alexandra in front of him. "Henry," said Alexandra again.

"W-w-who are y-y-ou?" he stumbled on his words.

"Henry, I'm your sister Alexandra," she said softly with tears in her eyes.

"N-n-n-no," he said covering his face. "Y-y-y-you're d-d-dead," he stumbled.

"No," she said with tears running down her cheek. "I'm alive. They told you that. I'm here to help you, I'm here to take you back to the castle," she said.

"W-W-What Castle?"

"Your home," she said extending her hand to him. He looked like their father. He had his light hair and his dark eyes. He was King Arthur's twin. His facial deformity meant nothing to Alexandra, she found her brother and she was going to save him from the hell he endured the last 15 or 16 years. Henry looked at her hand and lifted his own shaking. "Come on," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "I promise. Take my hand," she offered. "Please." Henry looked at her hand and then back up at his sister. He felt something between them, a bond he had never felt with anyone else. Alexandra was feeling the same bond, they belonged to each other, they were siblings. "Please, Henry, you can trust me. Do you trust me?" she asked. His dark eyes met her green eyes and he saw the sincerity in her eyes. The truth and love in her eyes made him relax. He quickly broke eye contact and shaking he placed his dirty hand into hers. She clasped his hand into hers and they both felt the electric spark between them. She helped Henry up from the floor and pulled him into the light. She gasped not ready for the full glimpse of his face. She took her free hand and touched his face. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she touched over his deformity. "Henry," she cried. "I've been looking for you." He took his hand and placed it on her cheek, wiping away her tears. They were drawn together and as they dropped hands they shared an embrace together. She kissed his cheek softly. "You're coming home," she said with a smile. "Where you belong."

They began to walk through the barn to make their way to the carriage. Alexandra felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she walked. She stopped to keep her balance as she felt light headed and wait for the pain to pass. "Your majesty, are you well?" asked the guard.

"I'm fine," she said holding onto her stomach.

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"I'm certain," she said. "Let's take Henry home," she said as she let go of the wall to take her first step unassisted. The barn spun around her as she tried to walk, her head light and fluffy, the pain in her stomach unbearable. She collapsed to the floor of the barn.

"Queen Alexandra!" yelled the guard as he and Henry came to her aide as she lay unconscious on the ground of the barn. "We need to get her to the doctor," the guard told Henry as he rolled her over to see her sweating profusely. He checked for a pulse. "Quickly," he said as he scooped her up from the dingy floor to carry her to the carriage. Henry wobbled behind them trying to keep up. The guard laid Alexandra onto the seat of the carriage and sat with her as another guard helped Henry onto the carriage. "We need to go to the doctor, the Queen is not well," he ordered. And the carriage took off to the doctor.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Alexandra's theory on possibly carrying twins, do you believe she could be? What did you think of Roman's reaction to feeling their child move? Are you glad Emma told Alexandra about Carlisle and Victoria? What do you think about them being arrested, do they deserve it? What do you think of Carlisle admitting it all to Alexandra? Will there be proof of their crimes, will the people truly revolt against Alexandra? What do you think of King Arthur and Princess Victoria being twins? Who is the rightful heir to the throne? What do you think of Alexandra finding her brother? What did you think of their interaction? Finally what do you think is wrong with Alexandra, will she make it? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much**

Roman sat in his daughter's room playing dolls with her when one of the guards came into the room. "Mr. Reigns," he said with a bow. "We found something, we need to talk to you privately."

"Thank-you," said Roman. "Please give me a minute, I'll join you in the hall," he said.

"Yes, Sir," said the guard before he made his way out of Emma's bedroom.

"I will return shortly," Roman told Emma. "I have to take care of a situation. We will continue playing when I return."

"All right, Papa," she said looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"I love you," he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too," she said with a smile before she went back to playing with her dolls while Roman took his leave.

"I beg my pardon," he said shutting the door behind him. "You said that you found something?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," answered the guard. "Going through Carlisle's room we found different bottles of poisons and notes of how many doses to put into food and drink. We also found pages to Queen Sophia's journal that Queen Alexandra has been searching for. They were lodged deep in his book case."

"Have you read them?" asked Roman.

"Yes, Sir. Would you like for us to wait upon the Queen's arrival or would you like us to tell you the contents of the journal now?"

"Queen Alexandra should arrive home any moment, please tell me the contents of the journal and you can inform her when she returns."

"Very well," said the guard. "Queen Sophia had begun seeing different signs in Carlisle. She said that he had started to seem cold and distant after Alexandra's birth. Queen Sophia and Carlisle were good friends until the birth of Alexandra. Queen Sophia explains when Alexandra was born Carlisle grew distant from her, conversed with her less and less. Their relationship turned into a simple hello and goodbye. She explains Carlisle grew short tempered with her. He grew secretive and then," he started to say before he swallowed.

"And then?" pressed Roman for more information as he crossed his arms impatiently. "What happened?"

"He raped Queen Sophia," said the guard quickly.

"And Prince Henry, is he a bastard or does he belong to King Arthur?"

"Queen Sophia writes she was increasing before the rape occurred and that a child was not conceived in the brutal torture she endured. Prince Henry was the spitting image of his father King Arthur she stated in her journal that despite his abnormal face and his deformity he was the most beautiful child she had ever laid eyes upon and luckily she had conceived the child before Carlisle's brutality against her. She grew ill shortly after she announced she was increasing with King Arthur's child. It was believed to be morning sickness but she grew worse instead of better. Carlisle has missives between himself and Princess Victoria discussing the poisoning of Queen Sophia, the kidnapping of Prince Henry, the poisoning of King Arthur and the attempted poisoning of you and Queen Alexandra."

"They poisoned Alexandra's mother and father?" he asked.

"Victoria wanted to take the throne. Victoria believes she was meant to be Queen because she was born before her twin brother King Arthur but Arthur was the male and the first male child is the heir to the throne," he explained. "We have not found any poison in the food of yours or Alexandra's. I don't know what they poisoned but it was not in the food."

"It could be anything," said Roman in a panic. "They could have poisoned anything we touch not just our food. You are to look for these items, NOTHING is safe from poison."

"We have not noticed anything out of the ordinary, Sir."

"And Princess Victoria have you taken her into custody?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir she is in her cell, Queen Alexandra has arrested her for treason she awaits her fate," he said.

"Very well," said Roman, "did you discover anything else?"

"No, Sir, just what I informed you of," he said.

"I truly appreciate your hard work, thank-you," he said as one of Alexandra's guards came running into the palace, up the spiral staircase meeting Roman and his guard.

"Lord Reigns," he said out of breath, "it is Alexandra, she is unwell."

"Where is my wife?" Roman asked in a panic.

"She is with the doctor," he answered, "she collapsed."

"She collapsed?" panicked Roman. "I knew this all was too much for her, I knew she was not able to handle all of this." His heart racing, his palms sweating as he thought about his wife and her condition. "Is she okay?"

"The doctor is with her now, you need to come quickly," said the guard, "she barely had a pulse."

"Okay," said Roman. "Take me to my wife, please keep an eye on Emma," he said to his guard.

"Yes, Sir," he said before Roman rushed off with Alexandra's guard to rush to his wife's aide. The carriage ride to the doctor's was the longest ride of Roman's life. He couldn't lose Alexandra, not this way not now he couldn't bear the thought of losing his beautiful wife and their unborn child. His leg bounced keeping rhythm with his racing heart. He covered his mouth with his hand as tears formed in his eyes. He was preparing himself for the worst.

"Sir," said Alexandra's guard, "She found her brother he is with her."

"I'm not worried about her brother right now I am worried about my wife," he said.

"There's something you should know about her brother," he insisted.

"I don't want to hear about Prince Henry right now, I am concerned with the well-being of my wife and unborn child. We can discuss Prince Henry after I know my wife is well God Willing."

The carriage came to a halt outside the doctor's residence. Roman barely waited a beat of a heart before he jumped from the carriage. He busted through the front door of the home owned by Alexandra's doctor as her guard chased behind him. "Alexandra!" yelled Roman. "Alexandra!"

"Roman," she called out weakly. Roman followed the sound of her voice and found her in a room. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his wife lying in bed and a man standing beside her.

"Alexandra," he breathed in relief. He gasped as the man beside her turned to face him. He knew that her brother had a facial deformity but it was still surprising to him. "Are you okay?" he asked as he hurried over to his wife's side.

"Yes," she said as he kissed her lips softly.

"I was frightened with worry," he said, "your guard told me you collapsed and.." he said before he kissed her passionately, thankful that she was alive and well. "And the baby?" he asked. Henry backed away from the bed and into a darkened corner hiding his face afraid of Roman.

"I'm well," she said, "and the baby is well too. Henry, don't be frightened," she said to her brother. "It's okay Roman won't hurt you, he's my husband. He is a little slow," she whispered to him. "He's unwell mentally the doctor said physically he is a 16 year old man but mentally he is of a child the age of 10."

"I understand," said Roman. "I'm just glad you're well."

"I'm very well," she said. "Henry, come meet Roman. I promise he is okay." Henry shook his head. "It's okay," she promised him. "Roman isn't going to hurt you, come on," she motioned for him to come over to her side. Henry hesitated before he slowly stepped back into the light taking Roman's breath away as he stood in front of him and next to his wife. "Henry, this is my husband Lord Reigns and Roman this is my brother Prince Henry," she stated.

"Hello," said Roman softly. He extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"H-h-hello," stuttered Henry but he wouldn't shake his hand and Roman understood. "B-b-b-baby," he said pointing to Alexandra's stomach.

"Yes," said Roman, "baby. Alexandra is going to have a baby." Henry clapped his hands and smiled slightly as the doctor came into the room.

"Lord Reigns," he said with a nod. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well now that I know that my wife is well."

"Your wife is a stubborn woman," he said with a small chuckle.

"I'm not stubborn," she interrupted.

"You're not?" asked Roman, "you could have fooled me."

"You jest," she said with a smile.

"You would not allow me to accompany on your voyage to search for Henry," he said, "even though I insisted."

"I know but I thought it would be better if I went alone because we did not know his condition."

"I wish you had allowed me to accompany you," he said, "will she be okay?" he asked the doctor.

"She needs rest, Lord Reigns and plenty of it. I understand she has a lot of work going on but she needs to get some rest. I want her to take it easy, lie in bed and do not much more."

"I have too much work to do. I am the Queen of England. I can't just lie in bed. I have people to behead," she insisted.

"You need to take it easy," said the doctor. "You need to relax and rest. You need plenty of rest."

"I understand but I have work to do," she said, "I will rest but I have work to do."

"I understand," he said, "but your baby needs you to be well rested and you need to be well rested before its arrival."

"But the baby looks healthy and is doing well?" asked Roman.

"Yes, the baby seems healthy and doing well," he answered. "It won't be long before he or she makes its appearance however we do not want it to come too early," he said.

"No we don't," said Roman with a nod. "I will take care of her and make sure she is resting enough."

"I don't need anyone to baby sit me or watch over me. I am the Queen I am ruling a country I don't need to be watched after."

"It is what is best for yourself and the baby," said the doctor, "I'm not telling you to give up your duties as Queen but you need to go slower, take it easier and rest more. Today was a frightening experience."

"What exactly happened?" asked Roman.

"She is overwhelmed with stress," he answered. "It caught up to her. She needs to cut back this far into her pregnancy."

"I understand," said Roman looking at his wife.

"We were very fortunate today, you could have lost your wife and your child luckily her guards got her here in time or it we would not have been this fortunate."

"I will take good care of her," promised Roman.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do," said Alexandra. "I can care for myself I promise I will rest and take it easy. I don't want a babysitter. I am nearly 10 and 9. I am an adult I am running this country. I will do what I wish," she said stubbornly as Roman shook his head. He knew his wife was stubborn and strong-willed he was going to do his best to make sure that she stayed calm, under whelmed and well-rested but with her stubbornness there was no guarantee. He knew she would do what she wished.

The doctor allowed Alexandra to return home to the palace giving strict instructions to spend the rest of the day in her bed resting and day by day she could do a little at a time. The only thing on her mind was taking care of Carlisle and Victoria. "Have you heard?" asked Roman as he sat next to the bed he shared with his wife.

"That Victoria and Carlisle were responsible for my father's and mother's deaths? Yes, Carlisle admitted it to me in the carriage to find Henry. I will have their heads by the end of the week," she promised.

"I am positive you will, what are we going to do about Henry?" he asked.

"He will live here in the castle where he belongs," she answered.

"Is it safe to allow him around the baby and Emma? Is he safe for us to be around?"

"Roman, he is fine. He is not going to hurt anyone. He is the Prince of England he will reside in our castle he cannot live alone, Roman. He is not capable of taking care of himself. Did you see him? He has been held captive for his entire life. He can barely speak. Please, Roman."

"Alexandra, I don't think it is a good idea. I think he would do better somewhere else."

"Roman, he is my brother whether he is mentally unstable or not. He is my brother. I just found him. I will not send him away."

"If you believe he will be all right in the castle it is your choice but Alexandra we don't know what his mental capacity is and if he is harmful. Is that a risk we can take with the baby?"

"Roman, before you arrived he was by my side talking to me and he is excited over the baby. He never had a life or a real family. Carlisle and Victoria made him believe I was dead along with our parents. This is what my mother and my father would want me to do. They wouldn't want to see Henry shipped off somewhere to live they would want him here at the castle in HIS home. Please, Roman."

"Alexandra, I am uncomfortable with this decision but if you believe this is what your parents would have wanted and you don't believe he will cause any harm then I will support this decision you have made but I think it is wise we are cautious with him."

"I understand," she said with a smile "I have my brother, Roman. It was like we knew each other before we met one another. The bond was just there. Thank-you so much."

"You're welcome, Love but you really need to rest. I will take care of Henry and Emma tonight. You just get your rest. You scared me today."

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, you're alive and well and so is our baby," he said placing his hand on her stomach. "But I know this may not be the best time but we need to discuss plans for your birthday party."

"I want a masquerade ball to celebrate my birthday and I want to invite my closest friends and many villagers to the party."

"I will take care of everything," he said with a smile. "You just get some rest. I love you, Alexandra."

"I love you too," she said with a smile before he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. He covered her with a blanket before he took his leave to take care of Henry and Emma while she rested. He was still concerned with the threat of what Victoria and Carlisle could have poisoned and he wondered if they were working alone or if there was someone else.

 ***A/N: What do you think of the information the guard gave Roman about Carlisle and Victoria? What do you think about the journal contents he found? What about how Carlisle betrayed Queen Sophia? Why do you think he chose to betray her? Do you think Carlisle and Victoria were caught in time before they brought harm to Roman and Alexandra? Or do you believe it is too late? What did you think of Roman meeting Henry for the first time? Do you think he will warm up to him and vice versa? Will Alexandra follow the doctor's orders or will she take care of her business as Queen? Do you think they made the right decision to allow Henry to live in the castle? Is it safe? And do you believe Carlisle and Victoria were working alone or do you believe there may be someone else working with them? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	31. Chapter 31

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"Henry," said Roman as he walked into the sitting room where Henry had been waiting since they returned from the doctor's home. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" he asked him.

"Y-y-yes," he answered Roman nervously.

Roman reached out his hand for Henry to take so he could get him something to eat. Henry looked at his hand and then up at Roman. Roman could tell that he was intimidated by him. No one knew what Victoria and Carlisle had put him through the last few years. He was held captive, hidden from the world, kept prisoner in some dirty barn. "It's okay, Henry I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your friend," he said. "Come on," he said. Henry put his hand into Roman's and Roman helped him up. Roman escorted him to the family dining room. "We have cake leftover from dinner would you like to try some cake?" Henry nodded his head as he sat down at the wooden table while Roman ventured into the kitchen to find himself and Henry a piece of cake. He grabbed two plates and then cut two pieces of cake to put on them. He walked into the dining room and handed the cake to Henry. "Here you go," he said with a smile.

"Th-th-thank-you," he stuttered as he took the cake into his hand and began to eat it without using a fork.

"We're going to take care of you, Henry. Queen Alexandra and I agreed that you will stay here in the castle with us. Is that what you want?" he asked digging into his cake.

"Y-y-yes," he said with his mouth full of cake. "Alexandra is nice."

"She's very nice," he said, "and she has been looking for you for a very long time. I'm glad that she finally found you. After we have cake I'm going to get you all cleaned up and show you your room."

"G-g-good cake," he said with a smile as the chocolate frosting was all around his mouth.

"We do have some pretty good food here," Roman said with a smile. "You're going to like it here. We have horses and whatever you desire. It's a nice place to live," he said as Henry continued to eat his cake.

"A-a-Alexandra baby," he said. "Baby in tummy?" he asked.

"Yes, Alexandra will be having a baby very soon," he answered. "You're going to be an Uncle again," he said looking over Henry's face. He resembled the King while Alexandra favored her mother. It was hard to tell that Henry and Alexandra were related. Roman didn't know what else to say to Henry. It was clear to Roman that Henry wasn't completely there mentally. He was in his own world it seemed but despite his mental incapacity he had a big heart. He experienced a childlike joy when it came to cake and the future birth of his niece or nephew. A man his age was settled down or looking for a wife but he was still a child mentally. "We have a daughter named Emma, she's asleep right now but I'm sure you will meet her in the morning."

"Okay," said Henry with a nod. "H-h-home?"

"Yes, you're home, Henry. You're home where you belong," he said with a smile. "What do you like to do?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"We'll find something for you to enjoy," said Roman with a smile. "I'm going to gift you some of my clothes until we are able to purchase you your own clothes how does that sound?"

"Okay," said Henry as he finished his cake. Roman reached for a towel to clean up his face and hands before he finished his own cake. "Draw," he said out of nowhere. "I like to draw."

"Okay," said Roman with a smile, "we can get you the tools you need to draw," he promised. "Are you ready to get some sleep? I'm sure you are you had a long day." Henry nodded before Roman cleared the table. Roman took him upstairs to his bedchamber where he was bathed and dressed in a pair of Roman's night clothes. Roman had a couple of his outfits delivered to Henry's bedchamber since he had nothing to wear. Roman knew he could spare a few. Henry crawled into a bed for the first time in his life and lied down before he drifted off into a deep sleep; it was the best sleep he had in 15 years.

The next morning defying the doctor's orders Alexandra rose from her bed when she saw that Roman was no longer sleeping beside her. She changed into one of her gowns, fixed her hair up into a bun before she made her way down stairs in her palace. She walked from room to room looking for Roman before she found him in the study. He was writing something out but quickly put it away when he heard her voice. "There you are," she said walking into the study. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

"You found me," said Roman with a smile, "how are you feeling?" he asked as she took a seat on the desk in front of him.

"Tired," she said.

"You should be resting, Alexandra remember what the doctor instructed?"

"I know, I know," she said, "but I can't stay in bed all day."

"You're so stubborn," he said shaking his head.

"What are you working on?" she asked. "What was it you were writing?"

"I was making birthday plans for my wife. Are you positive that you would like a masquerade ball?"

"I'm certain," she answered. "Where is Henry?"

"He is in his bedchamber drawing. He asked to draw so I had someone run out this morning to find him tools to draw with. He has been busy the entire morning. I'm worried about him, Alexandra. We don't know what Victoria or Carlisle put him through. He's nothing more than a child."

"That doesn't matter, Roman he is still my brother and I love him. I don't want to send him away."

"Relax, Alexandra we aren't sending him away. He's going to live here with us; we're all going to be a family. He needs his family. You said it yourself that this is what your parents would have wanted. I spent some time with him last night and a bit of time with him this morning. He has a large heart and he is very loving. He's very excited for the birth of the baby."

"Roman, I have a lot of years to catch up on with my brother. He has been gone for 15 years and he was probably told that no one loved him, no one cared for him. I wish I knew sooner I had a brother. I wish my father had told me. I would have been looking for him since."

"I know you would have but he's with us now and he's safe. We're going to take care of him and we're going to give him a good life. We'll help him the best that we can."

"Thank-you, Roman," she said with a large smile as she made her way to his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you so."

"I love you too even if you're stubborn and strong-willed and can't listen to the doctor. I love you anyway."

"I think you knew I was stubborn the moment you decided to marry me, Roman," she joked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his grey eyes with her blue eyes. A piece of her strawberry hair fell into her face and he brushed it out.

"I knew you were stubborn the moment I first laid eyes on you. You always knew what you wanted, Alexandra. I knew you were stubborn when I asked to court you but you turned me away."

"Actually if I remember I think you only wanted to court me so that I would share your bed with you. I believe that was your intention with me not to just court me."

"Actually if I remember you were not even going to give me a chance to prove myself to you. It wasn't until you were to marry Barrett that you decided it was me that you truly wanted."

"Incorrect," she said with a smile playing with his hair. "I allowed you to court me when I knew it was you that I truly wanted. When I was to marry Barrett I found you, I came to your residence and shared your bed. We were married in Italy soon after. I knew what I wanted and it was you, Roman."

"I knew what I wanted also and it was you," he said with a smile before kissing her cheek. "I hope that our child is not as stubborn as you are."

"It would make for an interesting upbringing," she smiled. "Our child is next to hold the throne of England after I am finished."

"I'm aware," he said, "we just have to get our child to that point in life through its stubbornness."

"Our child is already honorary with all the trouble it has given."

"Certainly," he said with a smile. "I am not sure if I should mention this or discuss this with you now," he said.

"You already have," she said, "what's going on, Roman?"

"I was talking to the guard before I came to see you at the doctor's residence. They had found evidence in Carlisle's room."

"What kind of evidence?" she asked.

"There were letters found that he and Victoria had been working together. They had worked together to kill your mother and your father."

"Carlisle admitted that to me on my way to find Henry. He informed me that he had killed my mother by poisoning her and my father. I always just believed my father was ill never did I suspect he was poisoned."

"They found the poison in his room. They also found letters between him and Victoria discussing Henry's kidnapping. We need to have everything checked in the palace. They were attempting to kill you and I next with poison. If it wasn't in our food then where is it?"

"That's a good question," she said.

"And they found the missing pages to your mother's journal. Your mother grew suspicious of him. He became distant with her, barely speaking to her and shortly after Henry had been conceived he raped your mother."

"Oh dear," she said. "Is Victoria in her cell?"

"Yes," he said, "they are awaiting their fate and judgment from the Queen of England. Did you know Victoria and Arthur were twins?"

"I never knew," she said. "I had no idea until Carlisle told me. They are both horrible people and they will meet their fate."

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to know why Carlisle turned his back on my mother, why he worked with Victoria so when they are before me for judgment I will make sure I know why he chose to work with Victoria and what reason he had for betraying my mother."

"What happens after judgment?"

"They will meet their fate; Carlisle did inform me that if I behead them and sentence them for their crimes there will be a revolution against me. He said the nobles will not stand for it."

"And the nobles may not but they committed treason and murder. They murdered the King of England. They betrayed the Queen they need to meet their fate."

"And I will do so with pleasure," she said with a smile. "Victoria and Carlisle will get everything they deserve for their crimes I will make sure of it."

"And what if there is a Revolution against you as Queen?"

"Then we fight, Roman. We will always fight."

"Mummy! Papa!" yelled Emma causing Alexandra to stand to her feet as Roman stood to his. Before they could leave the study Emma came running into the room with a picture in her hand. "Look, Mummy! Look Papa!"

"What am I looking at?" asked Alexandra as she took the paper from Emma as Henry came into the study.

"It's me!" said Emma. "That's me!"

"I see," said Alexandra, "Look, Roman," she said showing it to him.

"That's amazing," he said as he looked at the picture that was drawn of Emma. It looked like a professional artist had drawn it. "Who drew that?" he asked his daughter.

"He did," she said pointing to Henry.

"Henry," said Alexandra, "you drew this?" He nodded shyly. "This is beautiful, Henry. You did an amazing job," she said with a smile.

"Thank-you," he said shyly. "I have other pictures too."

"I would love to see them, Henry," she said with a smile. "Come here," she said. He smiled as he made his way over to his sister. "Look at you," she said with a smile. "You're all cleaned up and dressed nice it feels good doesn't it?" he nodded.

"Henry is the most wonderful person," cheered Emma with a smile. "He is like the big brother I never had!"

"I'm glad," said Alexandra with a smile. "Henry," she said with a smile. "I am truly glad that you're home. This is where you have belonged all along and you're here to stay with us. You can finally have a family."

"Me too," said Emma with a smile. "I didn't have a family either but now I do. I love my family."

"And we love you," said Roman with a smile.

"As much as I want to spend more time with all of you," said Alexandra, "I have some work to do. I have prisoners to sentence to their fate. Please excuse me," she said kissing Roman on the cheek softly before kissing Emma on the top of her head and kissing Henry's cheek. "Roman are you joining me?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "Emma, you and Henry may play together in the sitting room we will be done shortly."

"Okay, Papa," she said as she took Henry's hand, "come on let's go play tea party."

"Okay," he said with a smile as he and Emma walked out of the study behind Roman. He smiled at how well they got along with one another. He made his way to the judgment room to join his wife as she called for Carlisle to be brought to them first.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Henry? Do you agree with Roman that he has a big heart? What did you think of Roman spending time with Henry? Do you think they got along well? What do you think Roman is planning for Alexandra's birthday? How do you think judgment for Carlisle and Victoria is going to go? Is it time they reached their fate? Why do you think Emma and Henry get along so well? Why is Henry so excited for the baby? Do you believe sentencing Victoria and Carlisle to their fate it will cause a revolution? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	32. Chapter 32

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Roman and Alexandra took their thrones in the judgment room waiting for Carlisle and Victoria to be brought to them. Alexandra needed to give both of them a chance to explain their crimes before she charged them in their crimes and before she punished them for their crimes. Alexandra had waited a long time to finally have something on her aunt to pin her mother's death on her. She knew that Victoria had something to do with it but what was surprising to her was that Carlisle played a role in her mother's death. He was not the man she grew up knowing. She had always thought of Carlisle as family and thought he was a gracious, precious man but beneath his exterior he held a black heart. He was evil on the inside. She never thought he could betray her the way he had. As she waited she thought of Henry and all the years she had missed of his life because they kidnapped him from the castle when he was just an infant and she thought of all the stuff they possibly put him through. She thought about her father and how he suffered to his death, how ill he had become because of Victoria and Carlisle and lastly she thought of her mother, she thought of how she was taken from her early in her life, how her mother missed so much of her life and how she never got to have a long-lasting relationship with her. Her mother was never there for her first courses to talk her through it, her mother wasn't there on her wedding day and her mother would not be there for the birth of her first child. Carlisle and Victoria took that away from her, they took everyone that she loved away from her. They were trying to get rid of her, destroy her and take her throne from her. She would not let them succeed she was the rightful heiress to the throne and whether England revolted against her or not she was going to do what she needed to do not as the girl left behind by her parents but because they committed treason and murder. They deserved to be punished.

Carlisle and Victoria were brought into the judgment room in shackles. Victoria didn't have her usual look about her. Her long dark hair was undone and tangled from sleeping in the cell all night. She was dingy and her skirts were covered in the dirt from the cell. Carlisle didn't look much better. His clothes were soiled too and his face was dirty. Victoria and Alexandra made eye contact. The look of death was on Victoria's face as if she was warning Alexandra but surprising Victoria Alexandra shot her back an even bigger look of death than the one Victoria had given to her. "Speak," Alexandra commanded to her aunt. "How do you plead for your crimes?"

"Alexandra, I can't believe you would even think I had anything to do with the death of your mother and the death of your father. I had no part in the kidnapping of your brother. This is all a misunderstanding," she pleaded.

"How do you plead?" she said coldly. "What are the natures of your crimes? And you will address me as Your Majesty. I am your Queen you obey MY rules and MY law. You are no family of mine. You don't address me as Alexandra."

"Your Majesty, I'm innocent. I did not murder your father, your mother or kidnap your brother. I do not have a conspiracy against you and have not plotted your death. I am innocent. I did not murder your parents. I am not responsible for their death," she pleaded. "Alexandra, you have to believe me. I would never kill my brother. I loved my brother."

"ENOUGH!" shouted Alexandra causing Victoria to jump. "You never loved my father. You never wanted him to be the King. You never want him to take the throne. You have thought for years you were the rightful heir to the throne but you never were. You may have been born first but you were not a male. You were never going to take the throne. You have been jealous of my father for years, you became jealous of my mother because she became the Regent Queen of England and you have always despised me because I was to rule after my father's death. You believed you could rid England of my mother, then rid England of my father and the only person standing in your way of taking the throne while you held Henry captive was me and now my unborn child. You have committed treason against your Queen and your King. You have committed murder and have committed a conspiracy against your Queen as well as kidnapped a prince, you will pay for your crimes, Victoria."

"I'm innocent," she pleaded.

"You're guilty! The journals, the letters, the poison found in your home, you are guilty of it all. I sentence you to death, your fate; the guillotine! Get her out of here," demanded Alexandra. Victoria shouted and screamed. She kicked her feet as they dragged her out of the judgment room to her cell where she would stay until she met her fate. Alexandra could not wait for the day.

"You're going to be sorry, Your Majesty," said Carlisle as he watched Victoria dragged from the room before turning his attention back to the Queen; the little girl he helped raise all her life. She was a different person now. She was stronger, braver and more intelligent. Carlisle knew it wouldn't be long before she found out the truth about him.

"Excuse me?" she shot him a look of death.

"You don't know what you're doing, the trouble this is going to cause. You're putting yourself, your children, your brother and your husband in danger. You're putting England in danger because you're making a mistake. You don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you just did," he warned.

"I am the Queen and I will make the decisions."

"Your decision could cost many lives of innocent people. Do you believe that the nobles are going to allow you to have the rightful heir to the throne sentenced to death? No one believes you should be the Queen of England. You took the throne impure, pregnant and married to a gypsy man. The nobles despise you and when they find out what you're doing to Victoria they will be after your head and they aren't going to stop until they have it. I'm guilty of my crimes. I know what I have done but do you, Alexandra, do you know the trouble you have caused? The nobles are going to revolt against you and when they do you're going to cause a famine in England because they will stop producing goods for the villagers to go against you. The revolution will happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it but free Victoria."

"Do you believe I will allow the woman that murdered my mother and my father walk free, just give up the throne to someone that doesn't deserve it? If the nobles revolt against me so be it. I will fight. I will never stop fighting for MY country. These are MY people and I will do the best for England."

"You've already done the worst," he said with a smirk. "Once Victoria's head is on that stake the nobles are going to rise up, the Catholics will revolt against you because you married a protestant. Everyone will turn against you, Alexandra are you ready for that backlash?"

"ENOUGH!" she shouted. "You will join Victoria in the guillotine for your crimes of treason and murder. Guards, take him back to his cell until he meets his fate." The guard nodded and pulled Carlisle with him.

"The revolution is upon us!" he shouted. "You cannot stop it," he said before he was dragged out of the room.

"Alexandra," called Roman as she stood up to walk out of the room.

"Yes?" she stopped in her tracks, the heel of her shoes clanking on the marble floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"If there is a Revolution starting against me I need to prepare my army of men and I need to call upon my allies to help in times of trouble to prevent a famine from happening and see if our allies are willing to lend their troops to us in case this Revolution does happen. I need my guards to be on their guard, keeping aware of their surroundings. It is important NO one takes this lightly. We need to take this threat seriously," she said before she walked away to talk to her guards and to prepare letters for her allies. She needed people on her side if Carlisle was telling the truth about the Revolution. She was preparing for towns to be burned to the ground and many attacks if it were true which is why her guards needed to guard the castle the best that they could.

After Alexandra had talked with her guards one of the servants came to her in the study as she was writing the letter. "Your Majesty," he said. "You have a visitor."

"I thought we discussed no visitors?" she asked putting her quill down.

"Yes, Your Majesty but I think you will want to see this visitor."

"Who has come to call?" she asked.

"Your cousin; Princess Elizabeth," he said.

"Elizabeth?" asked Alexandra as her blue eyes grew wide. "I thought she was traveling through Paris?" she asked.

"She has returned to England, Your Majesty. She wishes to have a moment of your time. Shall I tell her you're indisposed?"

"No," she swallowed. "No, I will see her," she said as she rose to her feet. She brushed her sweaty hands onto her skirts. The last person she had expected to see was her cousin Princess Elizabeth. They had not had a good history. Elizabeth was her nemesis, they never got along and quarreled quite often. It did not comfort her she had come to visit especially for the fact that she was Princess Victoria's eldest daughter. Alexandra took a deep breath as she made her way to the sitting room with a guard on each side of her. She reached the top of the staircase before taking the first step down. She walked to the sitting room and saw her cousin standing there looking out the window, studying on a picture outside the window facing the courtyard. "Elizabeth," said Alexandra. "I'm surprised to see you," she said as her cousin turned to face her.

Elizabeth was beautiful, Alexandra could not deny that fact. She was always envious of her olive skin which was the opposite of Alexandra's pale skin that was covered in freckles. Elizabeth's was perfect and Alexandra always envied her dark wavy hair and wanted it in place of her straight strawberry blonde hair and she thought she had the most beautiful dark eyes she had ever seen. Elizabeth was a threat to Alexandra and she knew it. "Alexandra, you're not naïve I know that. You should have been expecting my arrival. You didn't think I would allow you to execute my mother without making an appearance."

"What do you want, Elizabeth?" she asked.

"You know what I want, Alexandra, I want you to free my mother. She's not guilty of the crimes you charge her with. You and I both know she is innocent."

"There is evidence of her crimes," she said. "No your mother is not innocent. She is guilty of murder and treason."

"Alexandra," she said with a smile. "You and I both know that my mom is the rightful heir to the throne. You don't belong on the throne. You and I both know that, Alexandra and soon the people of England will see that. You really made a mistake, Alexandra. You married a gypsy? Not a prince?" she scoffed. "That's pathetic."

"I married for love, Elizabeth. I didn't allow my father to sign me off to marry someone just to form an alliance."

"You went against the contract of your marriage, Alexandra. You were to marry Prince George of France but you chose not to do so."

"I chose to marry the man that I love and Prince George had already married YOU," she said.

"Of course he did," said Elizabeth, "and I will be the Queen of France one day."

"Regent Queen, Elizabeth that is not your country you know this as well as I do, you are no Queen. You will never be a Queen."

"Do not ask Prince George to send his troops from France, he will not do so. Maybe you'll do well with Scotland or Ireland," she said, "but Prince George will not help you ."

"I wasn't expecting it, Elizabeth. You knew that George and I were to be wed but you took matters into your own hands and eloped with him. I was grateful because I got to choose the man I love to marry."

"A guard, a gypsy a peasant, Alexandra," she teased. "It is an embarrassment to England, it is an embarrassment to our people and you're pregnant with a bastard child. You should have never taken the throne. You don't deserve it."

"Why are you here, Elizabeth?" Alexandra's temper was rising. She was growing impatient with her cousin.

"I told you why I was here, Alexandra. Free my mother and let her go. If you do your people will not turn against you and your country will remain peaceful. If you don't," she threatened, "you're going to be sorry."

"Everyone keeps telling me I am going to be sorry," she said. "Everyone should realize I am doing my job as queen and taking care of two murderers and two people that committed treason. I am doing nothing wrong, nothing that our ancestors would not have done, Elizabeth. You know that as well. I'm not freeing your mother. She's guilty. She will be beheaded. I'm sorry. You may take your leave."

"If that's the way you want it to be," she said. "So be it. Don't say I didn't warn you and by the way Alexandra," she said. "George is waiting for your country to revolt against you, it makes it easier for him to take over your country which he plans to do so if I were you, Alexandra I would make the smart choice to free my mother or lose your country. The choice is yours, Alexandra. I hope you make the right one," she said and just like that she was gone leaving Alexandra alone to make the choice to save her country, put her country in jeopardy or possibly take over France if they came after her. She didn't know what to do next, she sat down and began to think about her choice.

 ***A/N: What did you think of the new Alexandra? Do you think she's different than the person you have already met? What are your thoughts on Victoria's and Carlisle's judgment? Did she make the right choice? Do you believe there will be a revolution against Alexandra? What do you think of her cousin Elizabeth showing up? Do you believe there is truth in Elizabeth's threat? Do you believe the Prince of France and the country of France is waiting for the Nobles and Catholics to revolt against Alexandra to try to take control of her country? Do you think she will change her mind or go through with the executions anyway? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	33. Chapter 33

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

"What are you going to do?" Roman asked his wife as she was sitting at her desk in the study.

"I don't know," she said resting her chin on her hand. "If I allow the two people responsible for my father's death and my mother's death free with no consequence I am sending a message to the people that this type of behavior is acceptable. I would be freeing murderers out onto the streets of England and two people that have committed treason against their Queen. If I follow through with the execution France is going to move in to try to take my country because the nobles are going to revolt against me. I don't know what to do, Roman," she said nervously. "I don't win either way."

"Alexandra," he said, "this is YOUR country and they are YOUR people. The message you send to the people by freeing Victoria and Carlisle for their responsibility of the murders of your mother and father as well as committing treason against you is telling them you don't care, that you're scared, that you're a weak ruler. Don't give them that image of you, Alexandra. I have married one of the strongest, bravest women I have ever met. Do not let anyone scare you into doing the wrong thing. Don't let anyone scare you to do something you don't want to do."

"Elizabeth married the man that I was supposed to marry, the man I was contracted to marry if she can do that imagine what she can do if I go against what she wants."

"Elizabeth is jealous of YOU!" he said. "She wants to be who you are and she's envious of who you are if she wasn't she wouldn't have married the man you were supposed to marry and she would not be trying to take your country from you. She is acting through her envy. Elizabeth is trying to scare you, Victoria is trying to scare you and Carlisle is trying to scare you. You need to do the right thing, what's best for England."

"And if the people revolt against me?" she asked, "then what do I do?"

"If they revolt against you, you fight, Alexandra. You're forgetting who you are because of a few threats from scoundrels. Do you want your image to reflect you're scared, that you can be threatened or do you want your image to be that you're strong, that you're a fighter despite the threats against you? Only you can make the decisions. You are the Queen of England even if you have not had coronation yet you are still the Queen of England. It is your judgment call," he said. "I know you know the right thing to do and it isn't being afraid of those threatening you. You have enough allies that will help you fight any battle that come your way. France has tried numerous attempts at trying to take England but they have never been successful in their attempts because England is a strong country."

"Not when we are falling apart," she answered. "Roman, I need to do the right thing for my country."

"Are you brave, Alexandra?"

"I suppose," she answered.

"You know one of my favorite qualities about you, one of the things that I am attracted to? It is your bravery and your strength, Alexandra. You're not like any women I have ever met. Are you going to let three people dictate how you should rule YOUR country? Your father was a beloved man that did a lot of good for England and your mother I don't know much about her but I know she had to have a heart of gold. Carlisle and Victoria took those people from you and if you allow them to be free they will take you from our child. They have plotted against you. You need to do the right thing. You need to stop thinking about acting out of fear and think about acting out of your heart. Do what's in here," he said putting his hand over his heart. "How would your father handle this? What would your father had done if he knew that his own sister and someone he considered a friend more than a servant killed his wife and took his son from him? And what would he have done if he had known they were plotting against you, threatening your life. What would your father have done in this scenario?"

"My father would have fought, he would have done the right thing," she answered.

"What are you going to do, Alexandra? Are you going to be a weak ruler or are you going to show your people that you will not be threatened? That you're brave and that you will not threatened. You're a strong woman Alexandra, one of the strongest women I know. Tell me what you think the right thing to do is."

"You're correct, Reigns," she said calling him by his last name. "I'm going to do the right thing. This is MY mother and MY father that they murdered. They took my brother from me for 15 years and they want to take me from you, Emma and our unborn child. I will not allow that to happen. They're dangerous. I can't allow them to be free. They will be executed this day," she said with determination. "If the nobles want to rise against me and revolt, I will fight. If France wants to make an attempt for MY country I will fight!"

"That's my girl," he said with a smile. "I knew you would do the right thing. You make me proud all the time, Alexandra. I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said as she stood to her feet and walked into her husband's outstretched arms. "Tonight, I will show you just how much I love you," she said wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Do you have time to show me now or do I have to wait?"

"Patience is a virtue, My Love," she said with a wicked smile.

"Vixen," he teased before pressing his lips to hers, the electricity between the two of them exploded. Roman pulled Alexandra close to him, kissing her deeply with a passion that burned her tongue as his met hers. Alexandra reached up and undid the bun in Roman's hair allowing his hair to fall over his shoulders as his kiss deepened. He moaned against her lips as her fingers combed through his hair. "I need to take you now," he said through gritted teeth, his erection growing thick and hard in his breeches, ready to break through the doeskin fabric. He kissed her deeply again as her hand reached between them, taking his erection into her hand stroking it through his breeches. He moaned into their kiss ready to take his wife in their study, ready to make love to his beautiful, strong wife. "Alexandra," he breathed as she stroked him. "You're a vixen, you know it is nearly impossible for me to take you here in this study."

"Take me," she breathed against his lips, her lips swollen from his kisses. He looked at her in shock. "Take me," she demanded again. He ran his fingertip over her red swollen lips before he kissed her again as she continued to stroke his thick erection through his breeches.

He groaned out of their kiss, his erection growing fuller and harder. "I want you," he said, "Damn it, Alexandra," he growled and in an instant he was behind her, his hands kneading at her breasts, massaging them softly as he bent her over the desk in the study. "If anyone walks in on this…"

"They may be surprised," she teased. "Are you going to take me or aren't you?" she challenged. He growled as he lifted her skirts after he undid the placket of his breeches, freeing his erection. Pre-cum covered the tip of his cock as the veins of his cock thickened. He rubbed the tip of his cock over her sex, teasing her, making her beg for more. "Reigns," she begged. "Please." He smiled as he continued teasing her with his cock. He groaned as he slid his thick cock into her dripping sex. She groaned as he filled her, sliding deep inside of her, she grabbed onto the desk as he began to move. His movements hard and rough as he made love to his wife. His thick cock hitting every spot of her swollen sex, he covered her body with his, as he massaged her breasts with his hands as he worked himself in and out of her sex, sliding out and thrusting back in, deeper each time. She cried out in pleasure as he made love to her. Her grip tightened on the desk as the passion tore through her body, her knees weakening as she felt the wave of a climax building deep inside of her. She cried out in pleasure as she hit her climax, covering his cock with her hot juices, a climax so powerful her juices slid down her leg. "Roman," she moaned as he continued to move.

"Alexandra," he groaned as his cock grew thicker and fuller. He thrusted into her once more before exploding inside of her, filling her with his seed, "I love you," he whispered into her ear as he rested his body on top of hers allowing his climax to fill her. He pulled out of her slowly and helped her up. He kissed her lips softly as her skirts fell to her ankles. He tucked himself away by fixing the placket of his breeches, hiding their afternoon passions from the servants.

"I love you," she said with a smile. "But I'm still not done with you yet," she promised. "Before I continue," she said, "I have two people to execute." He smiled before kissing her once more. They hooked hands, intertwining their fingers as they walked out of the study together. They stopped to look outside the courtyard window to see Henry and Emma playing outside, feeding the ducks. Alexandra smiled before they continued walking she had papers to sign and a country to address. She had to do the right thing no matter what would come of it and no matter what stood against her.

Later before the sun set in the sky a crowd of people had gathered around entrance of the castle to witness the execution of Victoria and Carlisle. Alexandra sat looking out over her people and nervously she rose to her feet as the guillotine sat off to the side of her. "People of England, I Queen Alexandra will inform you of the charges brought against Carlisle and Princess Victoria." The people around her booed and some cheered. She took a deep breath before she continued as she saw her cousin Elizabeth standing in the crowd with her arms folded over her chest. "Princess Victoria and Carlisle have been charged for treason against the Queen of England, they have conspired to destroy the Queen and conspired to murder me but they have been caught before anything serious occurred."

"YOU'RE NOT THE QUEEN!" yelled one of the villagers.

Alexandra continued, "and both have been charged for the murder of Queen Sophia and the murder of King Arthur." Gasps from the villagers filled the air at the news. "And the kidnapping of Queen Sophia's and King Arthur's son; Prince Henry. They have been charged and judged by Queen Alexandra for their disloyalty and they will pay for their crimes by being executed in the guillotine. Princess Victoria, would you like to say any final words?" she asked as Victoria was brought onto the platform. The crowd booed at her presence.

"You will be sorry for this," she began as they put her into the guillotine. "Queen Alexandra will betray you, she will destroy this country," she warned. "To my children, I love you and I have fought for you to earn your rightful place as the heir to the throne," she said. And with that the blade came down and her head fell off and rolled onto the platform. Alexandra felt a sense of relief and joy at the sight. Victoria was gone, she would no longer be a threat to Alexandra or her family.

Carlisle was brought onto the platform in shackles and given a chance to speak. He said nothing in the guillotine except, "the revolution is upon you. May God have mercy on your souls." He warned the people of England just before the blade was dropped, beheading him and the people of England booed and they cheered some were against Alexandra and some were with her. She couldn't care less who were against her she knew she made the right choice and she knew she would fight for her country. It was a waiting game. It was time to see if there would be a revolution or if it was a tactic to frighten her out of her decision.

 ***A/N: What did you think of Roman talking Alexandra through her decision? Was he helping to build her up? Helping to support her? Do you think he is a good husband for her? What do you think of their risky afternoon behavior? Were they taking a risk? What did you think of Alexandra finally making her decision to behead both Victoria and Carlisle? Do you think she made the right decision? Do you believe a revolution is upon them or was it a tactic to scare her? Will France truly move in to attempt to take England from Alexandra? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	34. Chapter 34

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

Since the execution of Princess Victoria and Carlisle the townspeople of England had become divided. The nobles had gone against Alexandra, protesting against her rule. They refused to supply the country with goods such as grain, wool and other essential items to survive especially food. Alexandra had to reach out to other countries and allies to help bring goods into her country such as foods the nobles weren't providing because she didn't want to start a famine. The Protestants were protesting the Catholic religion and the Catholics were attacking the Protestants. Villagers were rebelling against Alexandra and some villagers were on her side. There were protests, towns being destroyed by fire. Alexandra was losing because of her choice to execute her aunt and her butler. There had been word of a possible attack from France and a French invasion. Alexandra gathered what was left of her army and her men to protect their country from the French but she hadn't had many men on her side and her army had declined after the execution of Victoria. They were falling into a bad place and with more countries forming an alliance with France rather than England things were going to get worse but Alexandra would worry about that later. Her birthday was a night to have fun and enjoy herself, enjoy the company of her friends and alliances at her masquerade ball.

Roman stood at the bottom of the stairwell of their palace awaiting the love of his life to enter so he could escort her to the ballroom of the palace. He held his mask in his hands as he waited for her entrance. His breath caught in his throat the moment she appeared at the top of the staircase dressed in a beautiful mint green gown, that exposed her shoulders and her plump breasts nearly toppling over the top. She wore a lace mint green sash around her upper arms. Her large pregnant stomach pushing the silk fabric of the gown and a flower resting on the side of her waist, Alexandra's strawberry blonde hair was pulled into a high bun and she wore her diamond crown on her head matching the diamond necklace around her neck and the diamond bracelet on her wrist. She held her mint green eye mask over her eyes as she made her way down the spiral stairs. She was beautiful, her freckles showing to the world. Alexandra met Roman at the bottom of the staircase and they hooked elbows after he kissed her cheek softly. "Happy Birthday, Beautiful," he said with a soft smile.

"Thank-you," she said smiling. "You look handsome," she said to him as he was dressed in black doeskin breeches, a white shirt, mint green overcoat and a matching mint green tie. His long dark hair pulled up into a low bun and his mint green mask in his hand.

"Thank-you," he said with a smile. "Are you ready to enjoy your party?"

"I'm ready," she said with a smile as they started their walk to the ballroom as guests were arriving at the palace for their night to celebrate the Queen's 19th birthday.

"And remember tonight is about fun, it isn't about the protests or France. It is about you to celebrate you turning 10 and 9," he reminded her on their walk.

"I know," she responded. "A much needed break."

"We both could use this break," he said as they reached the ballroom. The guards opened the door for them and introduced them to their guests. Everyone's heads turned, the chatter stopped as they walked into the room. They walked through a path of people that bowed and curtsied as they walked passed them. "I want to introduce you to someone," he said with a smile.

"Okay," she smiled as he escorted her to the man standing off in the corner by himself. He was dressed less elegantly than the rest but he looked presentable with a pair of beige doeskin breeches, white shirt and a navy blue over coat. He had dirty brown hair and as he looked up at Roman and Alexandra his eyes were a beautiful blue color.

"Dean," he said, "this is my wife, Queen Alexandra," he introduced them.

"Your Majesty," he bowed to the Queen nervously. Alexandra sensed his nervousness as he kissed her extended hand.

"A pleasure," she said with a smile, "no need to be nervous. Any friend of Roman's is a friend of mine," she smiled.

He gave her a soft shy smile, "so you're the lady that has tamed the wild man that Roman used to be?"

"Yes," she said with a soft smile, "I believe you could say that I tamed the beast in him."

"I am untamable," interceded Roman.

"You may believe that," smiled Alexandra, "but you and I know the truth," she said with a smile as Roman smiled back. "So, Dean, Roman has told me so much about you, you own a pub in town?"

"Yes but lately business has been a bit lower than I am used to. I am trying to find another way to earn money to make a living."

"I understand," she said with a smile. "How would you feel about working for me?"

"Working for you?" he asked puzzled. He had never thought about working for Royalty, he never thought he would meet the Queen of England nor did he ever believe his best friend would be by her side as she ruled over the land. "What do you mean work for you? Like a servant?"

"Not exactly a servant," she suggests, "I was thinking more like a guard, we could use another guard around here. And I know Roman misses you a lot since he isn't traveling into town as much anymore. I want you two to maintain a friendship. You could do that as a guard."

"Aren't guards supposed to be professional?" he questioned.

"If all guards were professional I would not be married to Roman," she said with a soft smile. "I would be married to some prince."

"I couldn't accept a job from you," he said.

"Please, Dean," said Roman. "It would be good money, you would have a nicer place to live. You could stay here like the other guards do. We would love to have you as a guard but more importantly I would like to be with my best friend," he said, "please consider Alexandra's offer. We need a guard for our unborn child and our daughter Emma."

"I haven't really been with children," he said.

"All you have to do is protect them from any harm, travel with them and watch over them. I wouldn't want to give the job to anyone else," said Alexandra, "Roman has told me a lot about you and I think I trust you more than anyone with our children. Please, Dean," she begged.

"I don't have to change the baby?"

"No," she laughs, "that will be the job for us and the nanny. All you would do is watch over the children and make sure they are safe from harm."

"And we want you to be the godfather of Emma and the baby," said Roman. "It would be perfect for you to be their guard as well."

"The godfather of the royal prince or princess?" asked Dean. "I'm a peasant, how could you choose someone like me?"

"Because you are Roman's best and dearest friend, we have discussed this and agreed to make you the godfather of our children."

"And I would live here at the palace?"

"Yes," answered Roman. "Would you like to take the job offered to you?"

"I'll think about it," he said with a smile. "Thank-you for being so gracious."

"You're welcome," she said, "if you would excuse us we have to talk to the Prince of Spain," she excused her and Roman. Dean nodded and bowed before they took their leave.

"Queen Alexandra," said Prince Fernando of Spain.

"Prince Fernando," she curtsied as he kissed her hand. "A pleasure as always."

"Yes, your majesty," he smiled. "Have you taken my offer into consideration?"

"For your son Felipe to marry our baby if it is a girl or for your daughter Elena to marry our son if the baby is a boy, we have thought about it."

"And what is the decision?" he asked in his deep Spanish accent.

"Roman and I have agreed that if it is for the better of England and for your father to back England in a war against France that our children will be married."

"Very good decision," he said with a smile. "I will inform my father and his men will be available to your disposal. Your son or daughter married to my children will form a greater alliance between England and Spain. We will also provide you the goods you desire," he said with a smile. "We will form a great empire together, Alexandra."

"Thank-you," she said. "However, if your men do not come to my disposal and the goods do not come through we will not sign the marital contract of our children."

"My men will be shipped to England as soon as possible," he said. "And the goods will be sent along with my men. The army is ready to fight and defend England," he said, "and along with my country the army of Scotland will also come to your aide."

"Very well," she curtsied. "Thank-you, Fernando."

"My pleasure," he said with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Alexandra."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile, "if you would excuse me I would like to celebrate with my husband, we will be in contact to sign the contract when the baby is born."

"Very well I look forward to joining our countries together," he said with a smile before Roman and Alexandra took their leave to dance to the violins and cellos playing in the ball room.

"Do you believe it is a good decision to marry our child off to Spain?" asked Roman as they danced in the middle of the ballroom.

"We need to do what is best for our country," she answered.

"But what about allowing our son or daughter to fall in love and marry the man or woman they choose not who we choose for them."

"We will schedule playdates," she answered, "get Felipe acquainted with our daughter or Elena acquainted with our son so they can develop a love for each other. I don't like the idea as much as you but I need to protect my country and if I have to make a contract to enlist help from Spain one of the strongest countries I will do so. I'm sorry, Roman."

"This has changed you," he said, "you used to talk of falling in love, choosing the man you love. What if your father would have forced you to marry Barrett or the Prince of France? You would be unhappy. What makes you believe that our child would be happy being married to the Prince or Princess of Spain?"

"Prince Felipe and Princess Elena are not unattractive children, they are beautiful inside and out," she said. "Their hearts are bigger than most children," she said.

"I thought we were raising our child to be normal, to have a normal life."

"As normal as they can have when you're the prince or princess of England," she responds. "And besides we are able to change our minds if we want out of the marital contract it may cost us but if we want out of it we are able to get out of it. Let's see how everything turns out," she said as she felt a bit of pain in her stomach and a sudden rush of liquid down her leg. "Roman," she said.

"I just don't like the idea of forcing our child to marry."

"Roman," she said.

"Alexandra, would you liked to be forced into marriage?"

"No," she said, "but Roman," she tried to tell him as pain overtook her. "ROMAN!" she yelled as she grabbed her stomach. He stopped speaking and bent down with her.

"Alexandra, are you okay?"

"I'm in labor," she said. "We need the doctor," she said.

"I'll get the doctor," said Dean as Roman helped his wife out of the ball and took her up to their bedchamber to prepare her to birth their child. Roman couldn't describe the feelings he had inside of him he was feeling joy but anxiousness at the same time. He was unable to describe it.

When the doctor arrived Roman left the room as the guests had already left when he reached his study. Dean stayed behind to be with his friend. The time passed, hours had passed and Roman paced the study waiting on word about his wife and child. "Relax," said Dean. "I'm sure Alexandra is fine. It takes time to bring a human being into the world."

"What if something happened to her or the baby?" Roman was scared for Alexandra's life and their child's life. Her pregnancy hadn't always been easy and she experienced many complications during her pregnancy. He feared the worst.

"Roman, I'm sure she is fine. The doctor knows what he is doing. Alexandra and the baby will be all right."

"I just want to know something about my wife," he said, "no word is ever good," he said as he paced.

"Relax," said Dean. "I'm sure everything is going well. I'm sure the doctor is busy delivering your child. Are you scared or are you excited to be a father?"

"I'm both," he answered. "I'm scared and excited at the same time. I can't even explain it."

"I understand," he said patting him on the shoulder. "You'll meet your son or daughter soon enough," he comforted him.

"Lord Reigns," said the nurse as she stepped into the study.

"Yes?" he asked swallowing back his fear.

"The doctor and Alexandra are ready for you," she smiled.

"Is she well?" he asked about Alexandra.

"There was a lot of blood but Alexandra is well," she answered as they made their way to Roman's and Alexandra's bedchamber. The nurse walked into the room before Roman and he followed.

His eyes lit up as he saw his wife sitting in their bed in a white dressing gown holding two bundles of joy in her arms. "Twins?" he asked with tears in his eyes.

"Twins," she smiled. "Princess Vivian," she said showing him their sleeping daughter, "and Prince Arthur," she smiled as he made his way over to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked greeting her with a kiss.

"Tired," she said, her lips pale and the color drained from her face. "But I am happy, My Love."

"Me too," he said with a smile as he looked down at their children. "They're beautiful," he said with tears in his eyes as he looked at their little girl before he took her from Alexandra. "Hello, Vivian," he said with a smile as she looked at him with her eyes that seemed to be a pretty shade of blue. "Welcome to the world, My Princess. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to make an appearance," he said as he kissed her soft chubby cheek. She inherited Alexandra's strawberry hair as the top of her head was covered in red peach fuzz and she had fair skin like her mother, dotted in freckles. She was Alexandra in the baby form, the same small pointy nose, the red lips and the cute little mouth. "I love you so much already," he said holding her in his arms, cuddling with his little princess; the future Princess of England before he handed her back to Alexandra. "Prince Arthur," he said as he took him from Alexandra, he was more Roman than Alexandra and he had a head full of dark black hair, Roman's full lips and Roman's nose and from what Roman could see he had brown eyes. He was handsome. "Hello, Arthur welcome to the world, My Prince. Just like your sister I have been waiting for you. I'm happy to finally meet you." He kissed his cheek. He was filled with joy and love like he had never felt before. He instantly loved Vivian and Arthur. They became his world the moment he saw them. "And thank-you," he said to his wife, "for making me a father."

"Thank-you," she said before he kissed her pale lips.

"Lord Reigns," said the doctor. "A moment?"

"Yes," he said as he and the doctor stepped out of the bedchamber as he held Arthur in his arms. "Did everything go well?"

"Alexandra had a hemorrhage, nearly severe. I thought I was going to lose her a couple of times but she came back. She bled a lot and it was concerning. She is going to be weak for a few days because of the blood loss. She is under strict orders to take it easy until she gains her strength back. It was very touch and go but I was able to stop the hemorrhage. She was very fortunate today, Lord Reigns."

"I will make sure she takes it easy," he promised. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome, enjoy your son and daughter. I will be back in the morning to check on Alexandra if anything changes please send for me," he said. "Congratulations."

"Thank-you," said Roman before he shook his hand. Roman made his way back into the bed chamber and joined his wife in their bed.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"You taking it easy until you gain your strength back. He said we almost lost you tonight."

"It was a rough delivery," she admitted. "but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am so happy."

"Which one is marrying Prince Fernando's children?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it now," she said. "I just want to get some rest. We can discuss it all in the morning and Emma and Henry can meet Vivian and Arthur in the morning. I need to rest."

"Of course," he said getting out of bed. He walked over to the cradle in the room and placed Arthur into it making sure he was warm and comfortable. He took Vivian from Alexandra and placed her into the cradle next to her brother. He walked over to Alexandra and tucked her into their bed. "Goodnight, My Love. I am ecstatic and happy you gave me two beautiful babies. And I'm proud of you for delivering them. I love you," he said before kissing her forehead. "Goodnight."

"I love you too," she said with a weak smile. "Goodnight," she said before she drifted off to sleep. Roman stood all night watching his wife sleep and watching over their babies waking Alexandra to feed them when they were hungry before she drifted off to sleep again. He sat by their bed all night on his guard watching over his little family he never thought he would have. He was grateful, happy and filled with so much love for them. He never felt such emotions in his life. He was finally and truly happy and the love he felt was indescribable; something he never felt before.

 ***A/N: What do you think of England's reaction to the execution of Princess Victoria? Do you believe that a revolution is starting among the nobles and the townspeople? What do you think of Dean and Alexandra meeting? What about her offering him a job? Should he take it? What do you think of Alexandra and Roman agreeing to sign a marital contract with their child and the Prince of Spain's child? Do you think it's fair? Will Spain come through on their promises? What do you think of Alexandra giving birth to twins? Were you excited she finally had them? What did you think of Roman's interaction with them and staying up to watch them sleep? Do you think Alexandra will gain her strength back from her hemorrhage? What if she had died? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	35. Chapter 35

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much***

"How are you feeling, Love?" Roman asked Alexandra as she sat up in their bed they shared together as she played with their babies laying on the bed with them.

"Better than last night," she answered. "I'm feeling stronger."

"The physician said he almost lost you," he responded.

"I wasn't going to leave you, Roman," she said, "I promise. I didn't expect childbirth to be so grueling. It was a lot of work and so much blood. I never expected twins."

"Neither did I. I was extremely worried about you," he said. "I kept thinking something terrible had happened, I was thinking the worst because I had no word on you or your condition."

"Other than a lot of bleeding and a large amount of pain," she said. "I'm doing quite well."

"The physician said you need to rest the next few days and that's just what you're going to do, you're going to take it easy and do nothing but enjoy these beautiful beings we created from our love. There will be no talk of Spain, England or anything that has to do with you being Queen. You're going to relax and take it easy. Don't fight with me on this Alexandra, you need a break."

"But I need to meet with Prince Fernando to sign the contract agreement so that he can send his troops in case of a revolution. This would be the time to strike while I am down and out with two newborns and we need to present them to the world."

"The contract can wait," he said. "Your family is much more important. You're going to rest and take time to enjoy our new family is that clear?"

"I thought I was the one in charge here?" she joked.

"Not when it comes to our family maybe when it comes to ruling England yes but in our family I have the final say. You have been doing too much since your father has passed away. It hasn't been easy for you and has put you under a tremendous amount of stress. You're doing a wonderful job and after everything that occurred with Victoria and Carlisle, the backlash it produced it is better for you to lie low for a while, get the rest you need and enjoy time with your family. I would take you away if I could with our family, spend some time in Italy."

"I couldn't possibly travel," she said biting her lip. "I'm still sore down there."

"All the more reason for you to get your rest, I just want you to come back stronger."

"Who will take care of things while I am resting?" she asked.

"I will take over from here," he said. "I will handle the businesses and the people," he offered. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Do you think you can handle it?"

"I'm certain," he said with a charming smile. "So enough about business, I would say you received the best birthday present," he smiled.

"Happy birthday to me," she said, "you do realize that three people you love share a birthday for the rest of your life."

"I'm aware," he answered. "We did good work," he said looking at their sleeping babies, "they are absolutely beautiful."

"They are the most beautiful babies I have ever seen," she smiled. "We definitely did good work."

"It was worth every minute of spilling my seed inside of you," he said.

"You're so crude," she smiled. "You're a rogue."

"But I'm your rogue and according to Dean you're the only one that can train me not to be."

"You'll always be a rogue and you're right MY rogue. I can't believe how fast our entire lives have gone in just a few short months. I feel like it was just yesterday that you were my guard and I was denying your advances as much as I appreciated them. You had me flattered and now we're here, married, ruling together and have two beautiful babies together and a beautiful daughter. This is how I always envisioned my life with someone I wanted to marry because I love them. I don't think I would have been happy with the Prince of France. He just irks me. He would not have made a good husband. I think he is more worried about his country than his wife. He and Elizabeth have not produced any heirs."

"Maybe Elizabeth is barren," he suggests as Vivian starts to cry. "What's the matter?" he asks as he picks up his daughter.

"That could be a possibility. It would be bad for her because being married to a Prince or soon to be King they want to produce heirs and if they cannot produce lot they are worthless," she said as she lowered her dressing gown to nurse Vivian. Roman handed the red headed child to her mother and Alexandra offered her breast to the tiny infant as she began to suckle her mother's milk. "For many years they believed that Queen Mary was barren because she and King Frances could not conceive a child. It was after King Frances' death that Queen Mary conceived a child with Lord Dudley to conceive my great grandfather. I would not deny the fact Elizabeth could be barren."

"What happens to the family lineage if Princess Elizabeth and Prince Charles cannot conceive a lot?"

"The next heir to the throne would be a male family member or female family member if there are no males. It is a complicated process," she said. "I have done my duty to produce heirs for my throne two of them and many more after these beautiful babies."

"At least you have not ruled out more children," he said as he picked up Arthur. "I never thought I would be raising a Prince or Princess. I was a drunken scoundrel in Dean's pub a few months before I met you and now here I am. I appreciate you offering Dean a job," he said. "That was nice of you."

"I did it because I know how much you miss him, Roman. I know you two were best friends and never see each other anymore because it's not safe for you to travel into the village or acceptable for you to hang out in a pub setting. This way you two will be able to see each other around the castle and I trust him the most with our children."

"Me too," he said as he ran his hand over Arthur's head. "It's amazing how much he looks like me."

"The spitting image," she smiled. "And Vivian is the spitting image of me look at her red hair. She's beautiful."

"Like her mum," he said with a smile. "Which one is marrying the prince or princess of Spain? Who was born first?"

"Vivian will marry the prince," she answered. "Vivian arrived nearly 20 minutes before Arthur. As much as I disagree with our decision this is the best thing for England at this time. We need allies, Roman or we are going to lose our country. I cannot let our country down. Spain is one of the richest most prominent countries with their help we should be okay but without it we may be conquered and destroyed."

"We have to do what we have to do," he agreed. "Maybe Prince Phillipe and Princess Vivian will fall in love but right now I don't want to think of my princess being married I want to enjoy her being this tiny life we created together. When are you ready for Henry and Emma to meet the babies?"

"I'll need a little more time," she answered as she finished feeding Vivian. "Arthur still needs to eat."

"Were you telling the truth about Dean being their godfather?"

"Truly," she answered. "He is the closest friend you have and I want nothing more than our children to have him for a godfather."

"He's a little rough around the edges but he is a good man," he said. "You'll like him."

"I already do," she said with a smile. "I like anyone that holds a special place in your heart."

"We are like brothers," he said.

"How did you two meet? And how did you two become such good friends?"

"When I first came to England after I lost my first wife and my unborn child I stumbled into his bar. I was broke, nowhere to go and didn't know anyone. I left Italy to get away from the pain and heartache I had suffered there. Truth be told I had never gone back after I came to England until I took you there and made you my wife. You made a place that was so terrible to me something beautiful," he said. "Anyway, back to my story. I came to England shortly after my wife was buried. I wanted a new beginning some new scenery. I need to escape the pain and heartache I felt so I came to England. I walked into Dean's pub and I looked rough. He knew it. He gave me a few drinks and started talking to me. I told him my story and I saw the sympathy in his eyes and he offered me a place to stay until I found a job and could get back on my feet. Not many people were willing to hire a poor gypsy everyone believes us to be thieves but we aren't thieves, not me anyway. Dean helped me out, he gave me a job in his pub and it was paying for my stay at his residence then I found a residence of my own. Dean helped me get my life back together and he is the one that showed me about the job opening to be your guard. I wasn't going to take it but he talked me into it. He said it would be good money and that I would be wonderful at it. Dean has always been by my side and supported me. He helped me when no one else was willing to because of what I was. I will always be grateful for that. He is like a brother to me. He was the only family I had until I married you. He seems rough but he has a heart of gold. If it weren't for him I don't know where I would be."

"I'm glad that he helped you when no one else would. That's good to have a friend like that even a brother," she said. "I can tell you're close which is why I offered him the job at the castle. Is he going to take it?"

"He's taking it into consideration. He stayed here last night to make sure you and the babies were well."

"That's sweet of him," she said with a smile.

"I never really knew what family was. My mom passed on when I was younger, my brothers and sisters and I were separated. I ran away from my father and fled to Italy. I grew up with an abusive father that drank far too much, sold his children into marriages and slavery. My first real family was my first wife's family when her mother accepted me into their lives and into their home but when I got romantically involved with her daughter I was the scum of the earth so we fled, we eloped and she got pregnant. I lost her tragically in a carriage accident and my family was gone. I started to feel maybe I wasn't meant to have a family maybe I was meant to live alone the rest of my life but then Dean talked me into taking this job here at the castle as your guard. The moment I saw you, Alexandra every negative thought I had about you disappeared. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes upon. There's something beautiful about your freckles, your strawberry hair and beautiful blue eyes that set my heart into motion. I will admit my desires for you stemmed more to taking you into my bed but as I spent more time with you, watched you help the less fortunate and be the woman you are the more I found myself losing the desire to take you to bed but more of a desire to love you, make you my wife watch you carry my seed growing inside of you. I grew a desire to make you mine. In every way Alexandra you're perfect to me. You became everything to me, my entire life. As beautiful as you are outside you're even more beautiful on the inside which is why I love you. Most royalty that I have seen or heard of have been selfish, conceited and controlling snobs you are nowhere near what I had envisioned."

"What had you envisioned that I was some monster? That I was some evil princess?"

"I thought you were a snob, going to be trouble to deal with but you were perfect. You were everything I didn't think you were. Your heart, your mind, your soul they are all beautiful. I watched you help people and watched you befriend those that weren't royalty and when you allowed me to court you even if it was in secret you chose ordinary when you could have had extraordinary," he said. "But you chose the poor gypsy boy."

"No, I have extraordinary," she smiled. "I didn't choose the poor gypsy boy. I chose a man that is strong and courageous, a man that made my heart sing, made my stomach flutter. I chose the man that I fell in love with. You're everything to me, Roman. My life with you means everything. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have all of this in my life. I love you so much, Baby."

"I love you too," he said before he kissed her lips softly. "And I will every day for the rest of my life," he said as their bedchamber door flew open and guards stormed into their room. Alexandra quickly covered herself as she was half dressed and Roman blocked his wife from view. "What is the meaning of busting in here!" he snapped.

"The castle," said one of the guards. "It is under attack," he announced.

Roman handed Arthur to Alexandra before climbing out of their bed. He grabbed his shirt and threw on his breeches before grabbing his overcoat. He quickly through his hair up in a bun as Alexandra stepped out of their bed after lying the babies down on the counterpane. Roman grabbed his sword. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"The castle is under attack. I must go fight," he said, "to protect you and my family."

"No, Roman," she begged, "please don't, allow the guards to handle it."

"Alexandra, I must," he said.

"Then I'm coming with you," she said.

"You're not dressed in anything but a night rail," he said as she grabbed her robe, "and you just gave birth last night. You are not to leave our bedchamber. I will make sure Henry and Emma remain safe in their chambers."

"Roman," she pleaded. "Allow me to come with you."

"Alexandra," he said sternly. "No you must stay here with Arthur and Vivian. I will not allow my wife to put herself in danger. Please do not be stubborn about this. Please, Alexandra just stay here."

"Okay," she said with defeat. "Please be careful. I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said before he kissed her lips softly and he disappeared out of their chambers with the guards as Alexandra made her way back to her bed with their babies as the sound of attack filled the castle and surrounded the castle. France had come or the villagers had arrived to overthrow their queen. She knew it and all she could do was wait.

 ***A/N: What do you think of Roman telling Alexandra what he thought about her before he knew her? What do you think Alexandra thought of Roman before they got to know each other? Do you think Dean will take the job in the castle? What do you think of Roman's story of meeting Dean does it seem like they are family? What about the castle falling under attack? Do you think it's France or England or possibly both? Was Roman foolish for going to protect the castle leaving Alexandra and the babies? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	36. Chapter 36

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Men surrounded the castle as Alexandra's army fought against the intruders from the top of the castle as the thousands of men stormed through the gates. Arrows flew through the air, the enemy shooting Alexandra's men and Alexandra's men shooting the enemy. Enemy men climbed up the castle to be met with their hands being cut off by swords or to have their throats slashed by the blade of the sword falling to the ground. Cannons rang out through the air on both lines as the enemy found their way into the castle. Greeted by inside guards and Roman the enemy fought with them to get further into the castle, servants ran to hide in their rooms. The sounds of swords clashing together in the hallway, angry voices of men, the cries of agony rang out in the castle halls as Emma and Henry hid in a secret passage way of the castle to stay safe as Alexandra stood over her babies' cradle watching them sleep peacefully through the chaos occurring inside and outside of the castle.

She knew Emma and Henry were safely hidden within the castle when the guards delivered the message to her. She was concerned deeply about Roman as he was out in the line of fire. It had been a while since he had left their bed chambers. She wasn't sure if he was injured or not. She didn't want to think if he was alive or dead. She stayed positive expecting and waiting for him to return to her and the babies any moment now. She ran her hands over each of their heads before she leaned down to kiss each of them. "Your Papa will return shortly," she promised them with a smile. They were precious as they slept together. Arthur sleeping with his hand covering part of his face and Vivian sleeping with her thumb in her mouth, small grunts coming from both of them as they slept and gently moved about. Alexandra wasn't sure how she could love two little creations as much as she did Vivian and Arthur. The sound of footsteps were heard outside their bedchamber. Alexandra smiled down at the babies as the door opened. "Finally you're ba…." She stopped mid-sentence when she saw it wasn't Roman that entered their chambers or one of their guards. "How did you get in here?" she asked the three men dressed in enemy colors.

"Queen Alexandra," said one of the men in their English accents, they were her own people that turned against her. "We've been waited for a moment like this," he said as they approached her. "You've made a mockery of our country," he said. "Marrying that non-believer, fortune teller, ragged gypsy boy and becoming impregnated with his bastard child. You don't deserve to be Queen and we are going to make sure you never take the throne," promised.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, her heart racing, her mouth going dry, her palms were sweating but she was not showing them an ounce of fear, that's what they wanted.

"Does it matter?" he asked stepping closer to her. "It's a shame you ruined yourself with that gypsy," he said as he reached out and grabbed a piece of her strawberry blonde hair playing with it between his fingers before he brushed her cheek with his hand. "You would have made a wonderful wife to me. You would have made a beautiful bride," he said moving closer to her, his hot breath on her neck. He smelled her hair and she smelled the bourbon on his breath. "Maybe I can take what I can't have, but make you have me," he said backing her up to the bed as the men walked with him.

"Don't," she commanded but she had fallen back onto the bed she shared with her husband. He dropped his sword to the ground and reached for his breeches.

"She's the Queen," said one of the men with him. "You could be hanged or beheaded," he warned.

"She takes any man that comes her way," he smiled as he undid his breeches. "You'll like this as much as I do."

"No," she begged tears blurring her eyes as she lay helplessly in the bed. She tried to get up but one of the men pushed her down and held her down. She tried to scream but the man covered her mouth with his hand as he pulled his erected cock out of his breeches and pulled up her nightgown. She tried to fight.

"Don't fight," he demanded, "or we will kill your babies," he said as the other man stood over the cradle holding his sword to her children. She cried and sobbed as he entered her roughly. His movements rough and hard as he took what he felt he deserved. She closed her eyes hoping it would all be over soon but he kept moving, raping her. The soreness from having the twins making it much worse, he grunted and laughed as he spilled his seed inside of her. "Very good," he said removing himself from inside of her. In anger he slapped her across the face as she cried and he fixed himself. "Your turn," he said to the man holding her down.

The man let out a laugh and they switched places as he reached for the top of his breeches and Roman stormed through the bedchamber door. The men drew their swords on him as Alexandra cried on the bed. She couldn't watch as they battled it out. Two guards came to Roman's aid as he had already been stabbed with one of the swords but he kept fighting. The swords clashed together, sparks flew as they hit. One man went down with one jab to the chest and the other man went down with a jab to the chest. The man that raped Alexandra stood toe to toe with Roman battling it out with their swords. The guards ran to Alexandra's aid and she pushed them away and sobbed as she curled up into a ball. Roman saw his wife and grew angry. His rage ripping through his body, he fought harder and stabbed the man that took advantage of his wife in the chest before he cried out in agony falling to the floor. Roman took the sword across his throat to finish him off before throwing his sword to the ground. Holding onto his side he made his way over to his sobbing wife. "Alexandra," he said through his pain.

"Roman," she sobbed as he took her into his arm.

"Shhh," he held her. "I'm here."

"Roman, he," she started to say but she couldn't get the words out. "Roman," she sobbed burying her head into his chest allowing his blood to mix with hers. The guards carried the men out of the bedchamber while he comforted his wife ignoring his wounds.

"You're hurt," she whispered touching his wounds.

"I'm okay," he said. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she said. "You need a doctor."

"So do you," he said touching her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you."

"I'm fine," she said more concerned about him. "You need a doctor," she said as she wiped his blood onto their counterpane.

"Alexandra, I should have been here. Are the babies okay?"

"They're unharmed," she said as she helped him out of his shirt. "You need a doctor." His wound was red and covered in blood. She took his shirt and wiped the blood away. It was a nasty wound.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I'm more concerned about you. Did he hurt you?"

"He raped me," she said calmly as she got out of their bed. "Don't worry about me. I will be fine. You need medical attention," she said before she called for a servant to bring her some water, cloths and alcohol to clean up his cuts. "Is it over?" she asked one of the guards.

"For now," he answered. "They were radicals that have joined forces with France. They will return with French armies. You need to gather an army," he said to her.

"I will take care of that," she said.

"No you won't," called out Roman as he winced in pain. "You will take it easy like the doctor instructed."

"I am the Queen of England. I need to defend my country and my home. I need a meeting with Prince Fernando and King Phillip," she said. "Bring them to the castle," she said to the guard. "Send a footman to them to bring them here."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said as the servant came in with the water, cloths and ointment she requested.

"Thank-you," she said as she took them from her. "I need a tub and some water too please."

"Yes, Majesty," she curtsied before she left the chambers.

Alexandra made her way over to her husband. "Since you're stubborn and won't allow me to call you a doctor I will take care of you."

"You should be taking care of yourself," he said.

"I will be fine," she said as she stood next to him. "This needs cleaned up and treated before infection sets in." She dipped the cloth in water and then placed it onto his wound to clean it up. He winced in pain. "Emma and Henry were hidden in one of the secret passage ways. They are safe."

"I know," he said. "I made sure. I should have made sure that you were safe," he said as she dried the area of his wound. She took the ointment and put it onto his wound to keep it clean. "DAMN IT!" he cried out in agony. "That hurts."

"But it keeps you from getting an infection," she responded. "The last thing you want is an infection. I have to keep it clean."

"Where did you learn all this?" he asked.

"Why because I am a Queen?" she asked. "You think I don't know how to treat a wound?"

"I didn't expect it," he said as she wrapped it up in bandages.

"I have learned more than anyone will ever know. It is called survival," she said. "Just because I am a Queen doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of a man or his injuries."

"You should be worried about your own, Alexandra. I will never stop blaming myself for this."

"Don't," she said. "I will be fine," she said as her abigail entered the room with a tub and some water for Alexandra to bathe in before she met with the King and Prince of Spain. She needed this to contract signed and their army by her side as soon as possible because it was only a matter of time before the French Army and the Radicals returned back to finish what they started.

Alexandra bathed and cleaned herself up. She fed the babies before she dressed in a black gown with gold bead work. Her abigail brushed her hair up into a tight bun and placed her crown on her head. Alexandra filled herself with strength even though she was at her weakest point after being violated by the radical. She held her head high and walked out of her bedchamber when the King and Prince of Spain arrived.

Alexandra walked into the dining room of the castle following her guards. King Phillip and Prince Fernando rose to their feet to greet her. They each bowed and kissed her hand. "Queen Alexandra," said Phillip. "Congratulations on the arrival of your first child."

"Children," she corrected him with a smile. "There is a boy and a girl."

He smiled and said, "congratulations."

"Thank-you," she smiled.

"Congratulations," said Fernando with a wide smile. "We heard of the attack on the castle. We are pleased to see you doing so well and unharmed."

"I'm grateful," she said. "Please have a seat," she invited them to take a seat as she sat at the table. They took a seat on opposite sides of each other. "You heard of the attack," she began. "They were radicals that have teamed with the French. The French will be invading England any day now. We need Spain's help."

"Our assistance does not come free, Alexandra," said Phillip. "If I deploy my troops to England you will need to supply us with something in return."

"Fernando and I agreed that my first born child would marry his first born child joining Spain and England in an alliance."

"I see," he said rubbing his chin. "Your children will not marry for some time," he said, "I need something now to make me want to assist you. How about Gold?"

"How much gold?" she asked. He wrote a number down on a piece of paper and passed it to her. "That's a lot of gold," she said.

"I have a lot of men in my army," he said, "Alexandra, you're in need of my help. You're going to need supplies that your nobles are no longer providing for you and France is withholding from you. You need my assistance and your army is dropping in numbers. With a small army and no allies you're in danger of losing your country. I don't think any amount of gold is too large for my assistance."

"I will pay you the amount of gold you requested," she said. "And my daughter Vivian will be married to Prince Felipe when she is 10 and 6."

"Very good," said King Phillip with a smile. "Once I have my gold I will sign a contract to send my army to assist you in your fight and your daughter marrying my grandson is a tie that will link our countries together for a lifetime and we will also provide you with the goods you need."

"Thank-you," she said with a smile. She sent for the gold and when it was presented to King Phillip he smiled and let out a little joyous laugh. He signed the treaty between the two countries offering his army to Alexandra and offering to supply her with goods. Alexandra signed it too followed by the marital contract between Vivian and Felipe linking England and Spain in an alliance.

"Alexandra, I will send for my troops to be here in a couple days. I will also ship grain to England to help with the famine. Together we will take down France," he promised.

"Thank-you," she said with a smile. She felt a bit better knowing that she had an ally to fight against her enemy. She knew if it weren't for King Phillip that she would lose her country, her life and even her family. She could always get gold back but getting her country back or getting her life or the life of a loved one back wouldn't be so easy it wasn't even possible. She knew she did the right thing for her country and she kept her head held high despite her night and early morning. The only thing she wanted to do or needed to do was spend time with her husband, brother and her children.

 ***A/N: What did you think of the Radicals of England turning against the Queen? Should Alexandra be frightened they have aligned themselves with France? What did you think of the attack on Alexandra? What about Alexandra's strength after to take care of Roman's injuries instead of her own and acting as if the rape never happened? Do you think she will ever forget the rape like she wishes? Do you think she should still be taking it easy or going to war with France and the radicals? What are your thoughts on her treaty and alliance with Spain? Do you believe Spain will help her or harm her? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	37. Chapter 37

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

Alexandra smiled as the guards brought Emma and Henry into the sitting room of the castle to meet Vivian and Arthur for the first time. Their meeting had been delayed due to the attack on the castle they remained in hiding until everything was clear and everything was cleaned up from the attack. "Mama!" yelled Emma as she ran to Alexandra, her light blue gown swaying at her feet and her braided hair swaying back and forth on her travels. She ran into Alexandra's arms and Alexandra wrapped her arms around her in comfort hugging her tightly grateful she was with them still. "I was scared."

"I'm sure you were, My Love," she said before kissing the top of her head. "We're safe now. I love you."

"I love you too, Mama," she said hugging her mother tightly not wanting to let go as Henry stood off in the corner taking everything in. He was often silent and hid within the shadows. He barely spoke with Roman and Alexandra but he spoke mostly to Emma and had developed a special bond with her. They were best friends. "Are the bad men gone?" she asked sitting on Alexandra's lap.

"For now," she said honestly. "If they come back which they probably will we will be ready for them. We have soldiers coming from Spain to help us."

"I hope they don't come back," she hugged tightly to Alexandra.

"I hope not either but we are prepared in case they do. You will always be safe when they arrive we will never let anyone hurt you, Henry or your baby brother and baby sister," she promised with a smile.

"I have a baby brother and a baby sister?" she asked with her blue eyes big and bright and a huge smile on her face that was full with excitement.

"Yes," answered Alexandra with a smile as she set Emma onto her feet so she could get up to get the babies from their bassinets with Roman. Alexandra picked up one of the twins while Roman picked up the other one. "Emma, I want you to meet Princess Vivian," said Alexandra with a smile as she showed her baby girl to Emma.

"Hi, Vivian," she said with a smile before she curtsied out of respect for the new Princess of England. "She is pretty, Mama," she said with a smile. "I like her hair," she smiled. "It is like yours."

"It is," she said with a smile. "You and Vivian are going to be great friends. You're going to teach her how to play tea party, how to go to a princess tea and many more things."

"I can't wait for her to be my best friend," she said with a smile as Henry moved from the corner of the room to get a closer look at the babies. Alexandra smiled at him and he gave her a shy smile in return.

"And this is Prince Arthur," Roman said proudly.

"Oh he is so cute!" cried Emma as she clasped her hands together. "I love babies!" Roman and Alexandra smiled at her excitement. "They are so tiny."

"They are just a few hours old," said Alexandra. "They'll grow soon enough."

"Can I hold Vivian?" she asked.

"Of course," said Alexandra with a smile. "Have a seat on the couch," she instructed. Emma did what she asked excitedly and plopped down onto the couch. Alexandra smiled and said, "Hold out your arms." Emma did as Alexandra asked and Alexandra carefully placed Vivian into the arms of her big sister. Emma smiled as she held her and looked down at her. For a moment Vivian looked up at Emma with her dark blue almost grey eyes. Emma leaned down and kissed her tiny forehead. "Henry, would you like to hold Arthur?" she asked him. He nodded shyly. "Okay, have a seat. You have to be very gentle and careful," she said to him. He nodded.

"Gentle," he said barely higher than a whisper. Alexandra smiled as he sat with his arms outstretched ready to hold his nephew. Roman carefully placed him into Henry's arms with a smile. The smile on Henry's face grew larger as he held the tiny baby boy in his arms. He had never held anything so precious or fragile in his arms. His grin went from ear to ear. Henry and Alexandra felt lumps in their throat at the precious moment and tears blurred their eyes before tears rolled down their cheeks. Henry was built like a man, sounded like a man but inside he had the heart of a child and a brain of a child not much older than Emma. He was looking at life from a new perspective. He spent 16 years in captivity hidden away from the world he was looking at everything for the first time, he was not much different than Vivian and Arthur as they would experience the world around them for the first time. Henry always had a childlike joy in his eyes whether it was watching the sun rise in the sky, the cool breeze hitting his face, running in the pasture, riding a horse or playing with Emma he looked at everything with a childlike joy and right now he had the same look of pure childlike joy. It was the sweetest thing Alexandra had ever seen.

"Are you okay?" Roman whispered in her ear as he stood behind her wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm fine," she answered wiping the tears away.

"You're crying," he said, "talk to me," he whispered.

"I just I don't know. I wish that my mother and father could see Henry now. All these years my father thought Henry was dead and my mother died shortly after he had been taken, that had to have devastated her they wanted so much for him even despite his abnormality. He is a great kid and to know that Victoria and Carlisle kept us from forming this bond that he has with Emma it hurts. I wish I had known my brother when I was younger so I could mentor him and play with him, cause trouble with him like all brothers and sisters do. Instead I was robbed of that. My father was robbed of having a son and my mother was robbed of her life. I wish my mother and father could be here to see Vivian and Arthur. My mother would have loved them to pieces. My father would have been so proud of his grandchildren, the new heirs to the throne. Sometimes I wonder is the throne worth ALL of this? Was being King so important to him that he lost his wife and lost his life? Was the throne worth Victoria committing murder? I don't understand the treacherous behavior. Jealousy is all that it was and because of that jealousy for something that was rightfully hers because she was the first born caused all of this chaos," she said shaking her head. "I look at Henry and our children and I'm frightened Roman. What if we can't protect them from the next invasion, what if something happens to them because Elizabeth wants what is rightfully hers? France is a strong country and my own people have turned against me. They're stronger than we are and I can't let anything happened to our children. I can't let anything happen to you. You're already hurt from one attack, what if that man had killed you. None of THIS would be worth losing the love of my life."

"What are you saying, Alexandra?"

"I'm saying that maybe the threat of Elizabeth and Charles is not worth the chance of losing the people I love," she said pointing their children and Henry. "I always said my family was more important than my rule and if we are in danger Roman it isn't worth it."

"Alexandra," he said.

"I was raped Roman," she said turning to face him, "in OUR bed in front of our children. In OUR home, you were stabbed. Was any of this worth it?"

"I think that right now your emotions are all over the place. You're sensitive right now you've had a long couple days. I think you need to think about what you're saying."

"I think or I'm sure I am going to give Elizabeth the throne and run away to Italy with you, Henry and the children."

"Alexandra, what are you saying?" he asked confused. "I thought you wanted to be the Queen of England."

"I do, I want that but I want my family and my husband more, Roman. I want my pride and dignity back. I can't risk my family for the throne, I can't do it," she said. "I think giving the throne to Elizabeth is the best thing I can do."

"Alexandra, what about Spain? They can help us save England."

"For a large amount of gold and for our daughter's hand in marriage," she said letting out a deep breath. "Forcing our daughter to marry the Prince of Spain is like me being forced to marry Charles and to marry Barrett. It's forcing her to love someone we choose for her not who she chooses. I don't want Vivian to be unhappy when she's older, yes being married to the Prince of Spain and forming that alliance would be worth it but is our daughter's happiness worth sacrificing. I told you I want our children to have a normal and SAFE childhood. We can't do that living in the castle, we can't do that if they are the heirs to the throne, we can't do that at all," she said. "I want them to go to a normal school, make normal friends and enjoy their childhood. I don't want them going to balls, masquerades. I want them to enjoy their life as normal children."

"Alexandra, I'm confused on where all this is coming from. Yesterday you were ready to be coronated and crown the official Queen of England now you're ready to move out of the castle, run away to Italy and live there?"

"With you," she said, "with our children away from all of this. We can have a normal life, Roman."

"I think you need to think about this, make your decision and decide what you truly want to do. I promised you I would support you in everything that you choose to do. If you choose to be the official Queen of England I will stand by your side and rule with you but if you choose not to become the official Queen of England and you give up the throne I will stand by your side. NO matter what you choose, Alexandra," he said taking her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. "No matter what you choose I am going to be here by your side. I just want you to make sure you're making the right choice, that you're making the right decision. You need to really think about this and think about what you want to do."

"What I want to do is enjoy my life with my husband, my brother and my children. I want to help people. I have property that I can still maintain, I can do anything. I don't have to be a Queen. I want to be happy, Roman, with you and our children," she said. "I want to be happy."

"Do you think that you wouldn't be happy as Queen, Alexandra?"

"No," she said honestly. "I don't think I would. There's been too much happening. I'm not being a coward I am doing the right thing not only for England but for our family. Elizabeth wants the throne," she said. "It is rightfully hers."

"No, Alexandra the throne is rightfully yours. Your father was the King which makes you the heir to the throne. Are you sure you want to walk away from all of this? What would your father say? What would your father do?" he asked.

"My father would tell me to do what would make me happy. Being Queen doesn't make me happy, Roman. Being a wife and a mother makes me happy, helping people makes me happy. I want to be happy and my father would tell me to follow my heart."

"And where is your heart leading you?" he asked.

"To Italy," she said honestly, "to Italy."

 ***A/N: What did you think of Emma and Henry meeting with the babies? Was it a precious moment for the family? What do you think of Alexandra deciding she wants to give up the throne? Why do you think she made that decision so quickly? Was it becoming a mother, the invasion or did she always have these feelings and they are just heightened now? What do you think about her wanting to give Elizabeth the throne? Will she go through with her decision? Does she make a good point, can she be happy living in Italy? Do you agree with her new decision? One thing that wasn't touched on would giving up the throne, moving to Italy and living a semi-normal life (Her life would never be normal she will always be a princess) be best for Henry? Please review and thank you for reading.**


	38. Chapter 38

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much* ONE CHAPTER LEFT.**

The Spanish army arrived days after King Phillip and Prince Fernando departed from England with their contracts and gold. The French army invaded England like it was promised to Alexandra. England had the strongest army on their side but France had many rebels and noblemen from England on their army as well as other armies that wanted to see Alexandra off the throne or had their eyes set on England. France was determined to have England, determined to form a permanent alliance between the two countries. France wanted the power to control the country that had been an enemy to them for years. France had never come closer to taking control of England than they were when they faced off against what was left of the English army and the Spanish army. Towns in England were destroyed, innocent lives of villagers were taken, many men defending England had lost their lives. England became a place of bloody sacrifice and bloody chaos and Alexandra felt she was losing control of her country. She had been fighting with herself on her decision. She wanted to make her father proud and rule over England but she wanted to do what was best for her family. She knew she couldn't do both. She knew taking the throne it was a possibility she would lose her family but she also knew walking away from the throne she would let down those believing in her, that had faith she could do great things for their country. The war continued to rage on not only inside of Alexandra but throughout her country.

"How are things with Alexandra?" asked Dean as he and Roman were tending to the babies. "Has she reached a decision yet?"

"She's still contemplating," he answered. "I just want her to be happy but this has been hard for her. She wants to make her parents happy but she also wants to make sure we are safe. She knows taking the throne would post a potential threat to not only her but our children and her brother. It has been proven with the invasion. There are more people against her than there are for her. I know she will make a great Queen and that she will be a strong ruler but the risk is not worth it in my eyes."

"I think Alexandra is a strong and powerful woman. She's not like past rulers of England," said Dean, "which is why I chose to work for her, to help guard the babies and be their godfather," he said as he held Arthur in his arms. "I'm not trying to belittle your past relatives or Alexandra's past relatives but until Alexandra took the throne or came close to taking the throne the crown has been nothing but arrogance and domination. It was the wealthy receiving the benefits of the crown while villagers and people like me fell and many lost their businesses. Alexandra is not like that," he said. "Alexandra cares, she has a heart of gold. She is about the people not just the aristocracy. She doesn't care what the nobles think of her and she goes beyond the limitations as Queens. She bought out an orphanage so the children could have a better life, she has many properties that she uses to help women and the peasants. She cares, Roman. That's what England needs."

"I know what England needs and Alexandra is what they need but I can't make this decision for her. Only she can make the decision whether to rule or whether to walk away from the crown."

"I hope she makes the right decision," said Dean. "England needs her. If not becoming Queen why is she having the army fight so hard for a country she will hand over to France? I believe deep down in her heart she knows the right decision."

"I just want her to be happy," he said. "Her happiness is what matters most to me."

"I know, Roman," said Dean with a smile. "But you are her happiness and her children are her happiness which may be why she feels taking the throne will jeopardize your relationship and her relationship with her children. Being the Queen is not an easy task and it involves dedication and time away from the family, from the children. That may not be something she wishes. I would love to see her as the Queen to help the people, she would be the Queen of the People. She's the one that has the voice the peasants do not but she has always spoken for them. Your wife is one of a kind and that's what we need," he said. "You should talk to her about what she wants to do."

"I have, Dean but she's undecided."

"I understand," he said as the door to the nursery opens and Roman's beautiful wife walks into the nursery with her guards by her side. "Hello, Your majesty," said Dean with a bow.

"Dean, please call me Alexandra," she said with a soft smile. "You're family."

"I'll do my best to remember," he said with a smile.

"Hello, Beautiful," said Roman before greeting his wife with a soft kiss on the cheek as he holds their 2 month old daughter in his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"Well," she answered with a smile before she took Vivian from her father. "And how are you?" she asked the tiny infant that gave her a big smile making Roman smile. Vivian was the spitting image of her mother. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen on a baby and the most beautiful red hair growing on her head. Alexandra kissed her little girl before kissing Arthur on the cheek. The last two months had changed Alexandra. She was always a nurturer she was always a nurturer but becoming a mother made her motherly instincts come out, it made her stronger. It matured her. Alexandra was no longer the 18 year old woman that Roman had married months earlier but the 19 year old woman that was a mother and a wife. Her looks had matured along with her personality. She had once carried a childlike innocence on her face but now she had a worldly look. She had the face of a mother. Alexandra and Roman had hired nannies to take care of their children but more often than not Alexandra and Roman cared for their babies and for Emma. Alexandra wanted to be a mother not just a mother from the distance. She wanted involved with everything Vivian, Emma and Arthur were involved in.

"I'm going to excuse myself," said Dean as he handed Arthur to Roman. "I think you two need some private time and judging by Vivian's temperament I would say it is time for her to be fed."

"Thank-you," said Alexandra with a smile before Dean left the nursery. Alexandra made her way over to the rocking chair in the nursery and took a seat on the wooden made chair that Roman made from scratch. Roman unzipped her blue gown so she could remove the top of her dress. She pulled down the shoulder of her dress and undid her bodice exposing her breast. She offered her nipple to the infant in her arms and she latched right on. Roman thought there was nothing more beautiful than seeing his wife feeding their children. "She was hungry," she smiled.

"Dean knows a lot about babies it makes me wonder how many unnamed children he has out in the world."

"Stop," she said as she ran her hand over her daughter's fiery red hair. "And if he did have bastard children out there it is no one's business but his own but I believe one day he would make a wonderful father. He is wonderful with Vivi and Arthur."

"I couldn't disagree," he said with a smile. "How long do you think this war is going to last between us and France?"

"As long as it takes for England to secure its victory."

"If you're planning to give up the throne to Elizabeth why does a victory matter so much to you?" he asked honestly. "If you're going to give the throne to Elizabeth that would secure a union between England and France why fight so hard to protect it?"

"Roman this is MY country. I am an Englishwoman. My ancestors have ruled this kingdom for years. If I gave it up without a fight what would that say about my character?"

"No matter what happens you're going to give it up without a fight. When England reigns victorious against France you're just going to give Elizabeth the throne and the country you fought so hard to protect."

"Are we going to do this again, Roman? You know this never ends well for us and I don't want to argue about this again."

"I just want to know that you know what's at stake," he said. "I want you to make the right decision, Alexandra. I told you that I would always support you no matter what you choose to do but I need to make sure you make the right decision. If you're just giving up the throne why fight so hard, why continue to use Spain's army as well as keeping the contract of marriage between Vivi and Felipe? If Vivi is no longer an heir to the throne why would Felipe want to marry her."

"Whether she is an heir to the throne or not she will always be a princess which is still eligible for a marriage to the Prince of Spain."

"I will never understand why after giving up the throne to give your children a normal life why a marriage to the Prince of Spain is still a choice let alone an option. Shouldn't Vivi be able to marry for love like you and I did?"

"Vivi is going to be a fiery spirit," said Alexandra with a smile. "She's going to do what she wishes much like I have done but with the fiery spirit will come her golden heart."

"IF she is half the woman you are, Alexandra she will be one lovely and lucky girl."

"I hope she is more than the woman I am," she said honestly. "My heart is torn, Roman. My heart is torn on what to do, what to choose," she admitted.

"I know it is, Love," he said. "Tell me your dilemma."

"I love my country and I love my people. I love everyone not just the nobles. I love the villagers, the peasants. I want to speak for them. I want to help them as much as I can but I put myself and our family at risk doing so, Roman. I often ask myself if it is worth the risk, worth possibly losing my family or you losing me. Sometimes I don't believe it is but other times I do. My grandmother ruled this country for years, Roman. I idolized her, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be the Queen like she was someday. I wanted to be like Queen Isabelle. Then my father took the throne while I idolized my grandmother and my father," she said, "they weren't for all the people. They let people lose their homes and go hungry. I promised I wouldn't be that Queen, that I wouldn't be that ruler. I promised myself that I would be the Queen of England ALL of England not just the crown. I think the people of England deserve that."

"I believe you're correct," he said. "The nobles are upset because you didn't side with them. They don't rule England, YOU rule England ALL of England. Victoria and Carlisle claimed the lives of your mother and father. They separated you from your brother his entire life. They deserved their punishment. The nobles are trying to push you to give up the throne. Are you going to let them win?" he asked as she removed Vivi from her breast. She and Roman switched babies so she could feed their son that looked like the baby form of Roman, he had his full soft lips, his grey orbs and a head full of thick black hair. "Are you going to let the nobles get what they want? You're fighting hard for England, have men defending their country from France but whether you win or lose you're going to walk away?"

"Roman," she said, "the nobles don't want me as their queen."

"It doesn't matter what the nobles want. They bullied your grandmother, your father don't let them bully you as well. They stop giving us grain and other essentials for our country you have Spain that has delivered an abundance of all we require and all that we need. You said you didn't want to rule just for the nobles and the aristocracy. You want to rule for ALL the people of England. Walking away from the crown because the nobles disagree with you is not ruling for ALL the people. Be the Queen of the People, not the queen for the nobles. If anyone can change England for the better it is you, Alexandra. It is you. NO one else can do it. Do you think if Elizabeth takes the throne that she will rule for the people? That she will help the peasants?"

"No," she answered honestly. "She's too selfish to think of anyone but the crown and the royals."

"You want to change England don't you?" he asked. "You want to make it better, stronger?"

"Yes," she said, "I want to make England the best country in the world. I want to be the strongest ruler they have ever seen but I don't want to sacrifice my family to be the Queen."

"Alexandra," he said, "you're not sacrificing anything but your family's legacy. We're going to be right here by your side. We're going to be right here we are not leaving you. You can still be the mother you wish to be and still be the Queen you want to be. Vivi, Arthur, Emma and Henry will all have a normal life but you have to do what you want to do. Do you want to walk away from the throne, give it up to someone that has a selfish heart that will not care about the less fortunate or do you want to stay up for YOUR people, show them you're stronger than France, stronger than Elizabeth. You have Spain on your side which is a tremendous help for you. What you offer England is something that Elizabeth could never and would never offer to the people. I know you want to be happy but I think if you walk away from the throne you will never be happy. You'll always regret your choice. This is YOUR legacy, the legacy you're going to pass down to your children, grandchildren and so on. Little girls are going to admire you, wish to be you but the most important little girls and little boy are watching you and they are your legacy," he said. "Do what's best for them and give them the future they deserve. Vivi is the next heiress to the throne give her someone to admire and idolize. Take care of your people and make England a better place," he said, "Alexandra, you have the power to be the best, the strongest, most intelligent and caring ruler England has ever seen. Go make a difference." He encouraged her making her smile.

 ***A/N Why do you think Alexandra is fighting so hard for a country that she plans to give up? Do you think deep down she knows the decision she needs to make? What did you think of Roman's encouraging talk to her? Do you think it encouraged her to not give up the throne? Do you think she will be the Queen of the people or will she go to Italy to be with her family? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	39. Chapter 39

**I want to take the time to thank everyone that has followed, favorited, alerted, reviewed and read this story. I hope that you have enjoyed it. This probably won't be my last historical fiction piece as I am always coming up with ideas for more stories but I know I would love to do another historical fiction. Here is the final chapter of The Suitor.**

The weeks that followed were filled with war and battles, invasions and riots throughout England but the men defending England from both the Spanish and the English armies had battled non-stop, giving it all to their country and their new ally's country so they could receive a victory against France protecting them from being taken over and being controlled permanently by France and King Charles. The victory was well deserved and needed for England. They came out stronger and more united than they had been since the death of King Arthur. England had reunited once again not because of war but because Alexandra's care and thoughtfulness for her country, having Spain supply the markets and the villagers with grain and food so they didn't suffer from a famine. Spain provided them gold to help rebuild towns and villages destroyed in the battle. Alexandra introduced religious freedom allowing the Protestants and Catholics to worship and honor God as they wished and believed. She turned England around while they fought against France. As the battle continued on more men were siding with their country, stepping up joining their country's army to defeat France. Alexandra was not giving up her country without a fight.

"There you are," said Roman as he walked into their bed chamber to see Alexandra being prepared for her day ahead. He smiled as she sat in her chair wearing one of the most beautiful white dresses with gold dots over the laced skirt layer over the white silk skirt and a gold belt at her slender waist. Her strawberry hair was half up and half down as a small bun rested on the crown of her head. She was breathtaking, she looked perfect as her abigail helped her into her white shoes. Roman had a flashback of their wedding night when she wore her white gown, promising to be his wife through better or through worse. He often thinks how she could have married a Prince, how she could have married Barrett, Dolph or Seth Rollins but she didn't. She chose him, she LOVED him. Her heart was his and she married him to spend the rest of their lives together and to have children together to be by his side for all eternity. He was not oblivious to the fact that she could have married above him and often found himself unworthy of her affection but she made sure he knew how worthy he was of her affection. He never thought he would be able to love after the first love of his life was taken from him in a carriage accident resulting in her death and the death of their unborn child. Roman selfishly hid away, pushing all love aside, taking vixens and harlots to his bed but never wishing to share a bed with another wife until he met Alexandra. His feelings of lust for her turned to love and affection as he got to know her. He was used to women throwing themselves at his gypsy feet, having his choice of any woman he wanted but Alexandra was different. She challenged him, she made him work for her affection but most importantly Alexandra had a way of making him see his worth, seeing that he truly deserved her as his lover and his wife. He looked at her in the chair as she was getting earrings put into her ears and she was not the woman he met months earlier, she was different, stronger, smarter and more beautiful. She had seen the world, went through their first war, birthed their children, had mothered an orphan and formed a new relationship with her brother and had helped bring her country out of a famine and despair. She was different now, she was going to be crowned Queen to rule over England for the next years of her life.

She turned to him and smiled. "Are you ready for the coronation?" she asked him flashing him a smile.

"As ready as I am ever going to be," he said with a smile. "I'm proud of you for making this choice Alexandra. I knew that in your heart that you had the right decision, the right choice in your heart. Look at what you have done for England so far imagine what you'll do the next few years and the legacy you will pass down to Vivian as she takes the throne after you are done being Queen. I'm proud of you, Alexandra," he said making her smile.

"I couldn't have done it without you by my side, My Love," she smiled. She looked at Roman and she couldn't picture her life without him. She knew that she could have married a Prince allying herself with another country making her country stronger but she chose to marry the Gypsy man that came into her castle as her guard. She knew the moment she saw him that he wouldn't always be her guard, she knew that she wouldn't always have him working for her. Alexandra knew that Roman was going to change her life in the best way. She knew Roman was a man that was used to getting what he wanted, used to having any woman he wished to have, taking any woman to his bed but she didn't want to be that woman. She wanted to be different, show him she was stronger. She played hard to get and made him work for his affection even though from the moment he first laid eyes on her he already had it. Alexandra knew Roman's heart was hers and she wasn't giving it up. She loved him like she never loved any man before. He was everything to her and while many wanted her to marry for wealth and power she chose to marry for love and showed her country that she was still powerful and still wealthy but she was happy with her choice, happy to be his wife and the mother of his children. She looked forward to their life together, their future as they stood side by side ruling England together, raising their children together, producing more children but most importantly she was looking forward to loving him the rest of her life, every minute of every day she would love him. He was the strength she needed to be the Queen, he encouraged her and pushed her to be stronger but he stayed beside her, guiding her through their life together.

"It has all been you, Alexandra," he said with a nod.

"It isn't about me anymore Roman, it's about us, you and I. It is about our life together, being parents together and ruling a country together. It is a marriage," she said. "You're my partner in life which is why you will help me rule our country."

"Alexandra," he said with a soft smile. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank-you," she smiled.

"Are you ready for today?"

"I'm nervous but I am ready," she answered. "Thank-you for guiding me into making the right choice."

"You're welcome, My Love," he said as he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. "The children are ready and Henry is ready. We're waiting for you," he said.

"I'm almost ready," she said with a smile. "You look handsome."

"Thank-you," he smiled as he pulled on his navy blue overcoat. He was dressed in a white shirt with a navy blue overcoat and a pair of beige doeskin breeches and his hair was pulled into a low ponytail. He constantly took Alexandra's breath away because he was so perfect in her eyes. His face was handsome and his body was strong, powerful and ignited a fired deep within her soul. She had read about romances but never thought a true fairytale love existed for her. She dreamed and hoped her life she would find a man like the ones in her books to love and to love her. She was living her own love story and she was enjoying every moment of it.

"I am finished, Your Majesty," announced her abigail.

"Thank-you," said Alexandra with a smile as Roman placed his hand out for her. She placed her slender hand into his and he helped her up from the chair. He kissed her cheek softly before admiring the powerful and strong woman standing beside him. He smiled with a nod as he placed his hand in the small of her back and guided her out of their bedchambers.

Roman and Alexandra made their way through the castle with their guards by their side. They stopped outside the coronation hall doors. The guards opened the doors for them and Roman guided his wife into the hall. English men and women gathered to watch the coronation of their Queen, rulers from other lands gathered to watch the coronation but something that had not been done before were villagers had gathered in the castle walls in the coronation hall to see the rightful Queen crowned. Alexandra and Roman made their way through the crowd as it parted in half like Moses splitting the Red Sea. They kneeled down onto their knees and bowed as Roman and Alexandra passed them. Alexandra greeted her people with a handshake and a nod. Alexandra and Roman reached the front of the crowd and they gathered around them. Alexandra kissed Vivian, Emma and Arthur on their cheeks before giving Henry a hug as they were greeted by the bishop performing the crowning ceremony. Alexandra bows her head to the bishop as Roman does the same as they stand side by side. The hymn of Psalms 23 being sung by the choir in the distance as they stand to wait, "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN" the crowd shouts out as Alexandra presents a Bible and a Chalice to the bishop for the ceremony.

"The Undoubted Queen Alexandra," said the Bishop as he presents Alexandra to the crowd gathered.

"Long live the Queen," shouted one of the people in the crowd.

The Bishop begins the crowning ceremony by having Alexandra take the oath to be Queen. "Madam, is your majesty willing to take the Oath?"

"I am willing," she answered as she stood before the Bishop and her family by her side.

The Bishop handed Alexandra the book to hold as she answered his questions. "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of England?"

"I solemnly promise," she answered.

"Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgments?"

"I will," she stated.

"Will you to your utmost power maintain the laws of God, will you to your utmost power maintain the protestant reformed religion established by the law and will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England?"

"All this I promise to do," she vowed. Alexandra kneels down to her knee and places her right hand on the Bible as she holds the book in her other hand. "The things which I have promised, I will perform and keep so help me God," she said before she kissed the book and signed the oath. They followed the oath by partaking in communion before she is anointed with oil as the choir sings another hymn. Followed by the anointing Alexandra was present with a blue velvet robe with a white fur trim that fell to her knees which is a symbol of civil authority before they presented her with a sword that symbolized power and justice. Followed by the robe and the sword Alexandra was gifted the Wedding Ring of England symbolizing her marriage and vow to rule England. They presented her with a scepter to show her power when making decisions for her country to give her the power needed in her decision making. As Alexandra kneeled down before the Bishop and her people she was crowned with a crown made of diamonds and sapphires. They placed it on her head as they prayed over her. Alexandra prayed her vow in front of her people before she was lifted up by the Bishops and placed onto her throne in front of her family and in front of her people.

"I present to you Queen Alexandra Mary Catherine of England," the Bishop presented the Queen to her people.

"All Hail Queen Alexandra!" they cried out as they bowed to their Queen. She looked over at Roman and smiled as he too bowed down with the people as they honored and paid homage to their beautiful, intelligent, young ruler. She waved to her babies and her young daughter. She had great plans for England, to make it a better place, to make it stronger. She was on the right path. She had a legacy to make to pass down to Princess Vivian when it would be her time to rule England but she never wanted her daughter to be forced to marry for wealth and power, to marry for an alliance. She paid their way out of the marital contract to Prince Fernando of Spain she wanted Vivian to grow up happy and fall in love in her own time, her own way. If there is anything that Roman taught her in life when it came to finding a suitor for her marriage it was that "you do not learn to love, love is a feeling bedded deep within our souls."

 **THE END**

 ***A/n: What did you think of Alexandra choosing to be Queen? Did you expect her to make that decision? What about all the good she has done for England so far? Did you expect her to buy out of the marital contract so that Vivian could be free to marry for love instead of wealth and power? What did you think of the ending? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


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